Alteration of serum lipid profile and its prognostic value in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Correlation analysis of plasma lipid profiles and the prognosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

PURPOSE

This study aims to clarify whether blood lipid profiles are indicators of prognosis in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

METHODS

This retrospective study included 512 T1/2N0M0 HNSCC patients. The correlation between blood lipid profiles and progression-free survival (PFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) was analyzed by multivariate analysis. The data from TCGA was also analyzed to investigate the expression levels and prognostic values of different lipoprotein receptors essential for specific lipid uptake.

RESULTS

A high level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) indicated better PFS and DSS, and a low level of apolipoprotein A-I (Apo A-I) indicated better PFS, while a high level of apolipoprotein B (Apo B) indicated poorer PFS and DSS. The Apo A-I receptor gene SCARB1 was upregulated and associated with poor survival in HNSCC patients. Activation of SCARB1 was implicated in a series of tumor-promoting pathways. There was no significant correlation between the expression of LDL-C and Apo B-related receptors and prognosis.

CONCLUSION

A high level of LDL-C and a low level of Apo A-I are protective factors for HNSCC, while a high level of Apo B is a risk factor. The upregulation of SCARB1 may participate in the progression of HNSCC.

Clinical relevance of serum lipids in the carcinogenesis of oral squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Dyslipidaemia is associated with cancers. However, the specific expression of serum lipids in oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains unclear, and it remains unknown whether serum lipids are associated with the development of OPMD and OSCC. This study investigated the serum lipid profiles of OPMD and OSCC patients, and the association of serum lipids with the occurrence of OPMD and OSCC.

METHODS

A total of 532 patients were recruited from the Affiliated Hospital of Stomatology, Nanjing Medical University. Serum lipid parameters including total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TGs), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), apolipoprotein A (Apo-A), apolipoprotein B (Apo-B), and lipoprotein (a) (Lpa) were analysed, and clinicopathological data were collected for further analysis. Furthermore, a regression model was used to evaluate the relationship between serum lipids and the occurrence of OSCC and OPMD.

RESULTS

After adjusting for age and sex, no significant differences were observed in serum lipid or body mass index (BMI) between OSCC patients and controls (P > 0.05). HDL-C, Apo-A, and Apo-B levels were lower in OSCC patients than in OPMD patients (P < 0.05); HDL-C and Apo-A levels were higher in OPMD patients than in controls (P < 0.05). Furthermore, female OSCC patients had higher Apo-A and BMI values than males. The HDL-C level was lower in patients under 60 years of age than in elders (P < 0.05); and age was related to a higher risk of developing OSCC. Female patients with OPMD had higher TC, HDL-C, and Apo-A levels than males (P < 0.05); OPMD patients over 60 years of age had higher HDL-C than youngers (P < 0.05), whereas the LDL-C level was lower in elders (P < 0.05). The HDL-C and BMI values of the patients with oral leukoplakia (OLK) with dysplasia were more elevated than those of the oral lichen planus group, and the LDL-C, and Apo-A levels in patients with OLK with dysplasia were decreased (P < 0.05). Sex, high HDL-C and Apo-A values were associated with the development of OPMD.

CONCLUSION

Serum lipids exhibited certain differences according to the occurrence and development of OSCC; high levels of HDL-C and Apo-A might be markers for predicting OPMD.

Blood metabolic biomarkers and the risk of head and neck cancer: An epidemiological study in the Swedish AMORIS Cohort

Multiple studies have investigated the role of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism on the risk of head and neck cancer (HNC), with however conflicting results. We performed a study of 561,388 individuals of the Swedish AMORIS Cohort with blood test results on nine biomarkers for carbohydrate, lipid, and apolipoprotein metabolism during 1985-1996. We examined the associations of these biomarkers with the future risk of HNC through 2020 and demonstrated the temporal changes of these biomarkers during the decades before cancer diagnosis. We found that there was a positive association between blood level of glucose, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), and Apoprotein A-I (ApoA-I) and the risk of HNC. Per standard deviation increase, the hazard ratio (HR) was 1.05 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-1.09) for glucose, 1.09 (95% CI 1.05-1.13) for TC, 1.13 (95% CI 1.08-1.17) for TG, and 1.11 (95% CI 1.04-1.19) for ApoA-I. The associations were primarily noted for squamous cell carcinoma but not adenocarcinoma. Compared to controls, patients with HNC, primarily squamous cell carcinoma, showed constantly higher levels of glucose, TC, TG, and ApoA-I during the 30 years before diagnosis. In conclusion, findings of the study add new and high-quality evidence to the early involvement of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in the oncogenesis of human cancer.

Plasma metabolic phenotypes of HPV-associated vs smoking-associated head and neck cancer and patient survival

BACKGROUND

Metabolic differences between human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and smoking-associated HNSCC may partially explain differences in prognosis. The former relies on mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) while the latter relies on glycolysis. These differences have not been studied in blood.

METHODS

We extracted metabolites using untargeted liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry from pretreatment plasma in a cohort of 55 HPV-associated and 82 smoking-associated HNSCC subjects. Metabolic pathway enrichment analysis of differentially expressed metabolites produced pathway-based signatures. Significant pathways (P<0.05) were reduced via principal components analysis and assessed with overall survival via Cox models. We classified each subject as glycolytic or OXPHOS phenotype and assessed it with survival.

RESULTS

Of 2,410 analyzed metabolites, 191 were differentially expressed. Relative to smoking-associated HNSCC, bile acid biosynthesis (P<0.0001) and octadecatrienoic acid beta-oxidation (P=0.01), were upregulated in HPV-associated HNSCC, while galactose metabolism (P=0.001) and vitamin B6 metabolism (P=0.01) were downregulated; the first two suggest an OXPHOS phenotype while the latter two suggest glycolytic. First principal components of bile acid biosynthesis (HR=0.52 per standard deviation, 95% CI:0.38-0.72, P<0.001) and octadecatrienoic acid beta-oxidation (HR=0.54 per sd, 95% CI:0.38-0.78, P<0.001) were significantly associated with overall survival independent of HPV and smoking. The glycolytic vs OXPHOS phenotype was also independently associated with survival (HR=3.17, 95% CI:1.07-9.35; P=0.04).

CONCLUSIONS

Plasma metabolites related to glycolysis and mitochondrial OXPHOS may be biomarkers of HNSCC patient prognosis independent of HPV or smoking. Future investigations should determine if they predict treatment efficacy.

IMPACT

Blood metabolomics may be a useful marker to aid HNSCC patient prognosis.

Low lipoprotein(a) levels and risk of disease in a large, contemporary, general population study

AIMS

With the current focus on lipoprotein(a) as a likely causal risk factor for cardiovascular disease and new drugs potentially on the market to lower lipoprotein(a) levels, the safety of lowering lipoprotein(a) to low levels becomes increasingly important. We tested whether low levels of lipoprotein(a) and corresponding LPA genotypes associate with major disease groups including cancers and infectious disease.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We included 109 440 individuals from the Copenhagen General Population Study. For main World Health Organization International Classification of Diseases 10th edition chapter diseases, the only concordant association of low levels of lipoprotein(a) plasma levels and corresponding LPA genotypes with risk of disease was with low risk of diseases of the circulatory system. Furthermore, no concordant association of low levels of lipoprotein(a) plasma levels and corresponding LPA genotypes with the risk of any cancer (i.e. cancer subtypes combined) or infectious disease was seen. The hazard ratio for the risk of any cancer was 1.06 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.97-1.15] for the first vs. the fourth quartile of lipoprotein(a), 1.02 (0.97-1.07) for the fourth vs. the first quartile of KIV-2 number of repeats, and 1.01 (0.96-1.07) for rs10455872 non-carriers vs. carriers. The corresponding hazard ratios for the risk of hospitalization for infection were 1.05 (95% CI: 0.99-1.10), 1.02 (0.98-1.07), and 0.97 (0.93-1.03), respectively.

CONCLUSION

In a large, contemporary, general population cohort, apart from the well-established association with cardiovascular disease, low levels of lipoprotein(a) and corresponding LPA genotypes did not concordantly associate with any major disease groups including cancers and infections. There is no safety signal from our results to indicate that low levels of lipoprotein(a) are harmful.

High Levels of Low-Density Lipoproteins Correlate with Improved Survival in Patients with Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck

Circulating lipoproteins as risk factors or prognostic indicators for various cancers have been investigated previously; however, no clear consensus has been reached. In this study, we aimed at evaluating the impact of serum lipoproteins on the prognosis of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins (LDL), high-density lipoproteins (HDL), triglycerides and lipoprotein(a) were measured in serum samples from 106 patients and 28 healthy controls. We found that HDL was the only lipoprotein exhibiting a significant difference in concentration between healthy controls and patients (p = 0.012). Kaplan–Meier survival curves indicated that patients with high levels of total cholesterol or LDL had better overall survival than patients with normal levels (p = 0.028 and p = 0.007, respectively). Looking at patients without lipid medication (n = 89) and adjusting for the effects of TNM stage and weight change, multivariate Cox regression models indicated that LDL was an independent prognostic factor for both overall (p = 0.005) and disease-free survival (p = 0.013). In summary, our study revealed that high LDL level is beneficial for survival outcome in patients with SCCHN. Use of cholesterol-lowering medicines for prevention or management of SCCHN needs to be evaluated carefully.

Apolipoprotein A1 is negatively associated with male papillary thyroid cancer patients: a cross-sectional study of single academic center in China

BACKGROUND

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is the most common type of thyroid cancer and the incidence of PTC has continued to increase over the past decades. Many studies have shown that obesity is an independent risk factor for PTC and obese PTC patients tend to have a relative larger tumor size and higher grade of tumor stage. Obesity is associated with disordered lipid metabolism and the relationship between serum lipids and PTC remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between serum lipid level and PTC.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed 1018 PTC patients diagnosed and treated in our hospital, all these cases were first diagnosed with PTC and had complete clinical information including ultrasound reports before surgery, serum lipid (CHOL, TG, HDL-c, LDL-c, Apo-A1, Apo-B, Apo-E) results, surgical records and pathological reports.

RESULTS

None of these lipid markers were associated with tumor size in the whole cohort and in the female group. In the male group, on crude analysis, Apo-A1 showed a marginally association with tumor size, [OR = 0.158 (0.021-1.777)], p = 0.072. After adjusting for age and multifocality, Apo-A1 showed a significant association with tumor size [OR = 0.126 (0.016-0.974)], p = 0.047. This association become more apparent in a young male subgroup, [OR = 0.051 (0.005-0.497)], p = 0.009. CHOL, TG, HDL-c, LDL-c, Apo-B, Apo-E did not show significant association with tumor size. As for LNM, neither in the male group nor in the female group were found to be associated with any serum lipid biomarkers.

CONCLUSION

As PTC incidences continues to increase, our findings demonstrated a negatively association between PTC and apoA-1 in male PTC patients, which may contribute to further investigation concerning diagnosing and preventing this most common type of thyroid cancer.

Hyperlipoproteinemia (a) is associated with breast cancer in a Han Chinese population

To investigate the relationship between serum lipoprotein (a) (LP(a)) levels and breast cancer as well as the clinicopathologic characteristics of breast cancer in a Han Chinese population.This study included 314 breast cancer patients, 51 patients with benign breast tumors, and 185 healthy control subjects. All study subjects were Han Chinese with similar socio-economic backgrounds, who were local residents of Zhoushan, Zhejiang, China or who had lived in Zhoushan for a long period of time. Serum concentrations of LP(a) were determined using a latex-enhanced immunoturbidimetric assay. Clinicopathological characteristics of patients were retrieved from medical records, which included the histopathological type, grade, stage, and molecular subtype of the disease, the expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), HER2, and Ki67, and the level of reproductive hormones. Correlations between 2 groups were evaluated using the Spearman correlation analysis. Associations among ≥3 groups were interpreted using the Kruskal-Wallis H test or the logistic regression test.Elevated serum LP(a) levels were detected in breast cancer patients compared with healthy control subjects, but no significant differences in LP(a) were detected between breast cancer and benign tumor or between benign tumor and healthy control. In breast cancer patients, serum LP(a) levels were inversely associated with HER2 expression, but they were not significantly correlated with any other clinicopathologic characteristics of breast cancer evaluated in this study.Elevated serum LP(a) levels were associated with breast cancer in a Han Chinese population.

Levels of MUC1 in tumours and serum of patients with different sub-types of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Mucin 1 (MUC1) is a membrane-bound and secreted glycoprotein that has a protective role in surface epithelia. We recently demonstrated that MUC1 mRNA expression was upregulated in tumour-free tongue tissues adjacent to squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue (SCCOT) compared with that in the tumour tissues. The present study investigated MUC1 protein in SCCOT tissue and serum from patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) at different sub-sites. The results from immunohistochemistry demonstrated that all SCCOT tissues expressed MUC1; however, the protein levels were not correlated with MUC1 mRNA levels in the same tumours. Furthermore, serum MUC1 level was lower in patients with SCCOT, tonsil SCC and gingival SCC compared with that in healthy subjects; however, the difference was only significant for patients with SCCOT (P=0.0421). No correlation was seen between MUC1 level in tumour tissues and MUCI level in serum from the same patients. The absence of correlation between MUC1 protein and mRNA levels in SCCOT tissues emphasized the importance of validating genomic data in clinical samples. Although significant MUC1 downregulation was observed in the serum of patients with SCCOT, there was a large variation within the groups, suggesting that MUC1 may not be used as a biomarker for these types of tumors.

Chronic disease comorbidity in patients with oral leukoplakia: A matched case-control study

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to investigate the presence of chronic diseases in patients with oral leukoplakia (OL) compared to controls matched for age group, gender, smoking and alcohol use.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

This case-control study examined the general demographics, medical and social histories of 105 OL cases and 391 controls matched for age group, gender, tobacco and alcohol use. All OL cases were diagnosed based on both clinical and histopathological findings.

RESULTS

Chronic diseases were significantly associated with OL, namely dyslipidaemia (p < .0001), musculoskeletal diseases (p = .0101) and asthma (p = .0052). The use of ACE inhibitors (p = .0177), opioid analgesics (p = .0300), anticoagulants (p = .0055) and statins (p = .0010) was significantly associated with OL. Dyslipidaemia (p < .0001; odds ratio [95% CI]: 6.4 [3.5-11.6]) and asthma (p = .0110; odds ratio [95% CI]: 2.2 [1.2-4.0]) were identified as independent predictors of OL in multivariate analysis, both of which were significantly more common amongst cases than controls.

CONCLUSIONS

Results from this first Australian study suggest that dyslipidaemia and asthma may constitute independent predictors for the presence of OL. However, longitudinal studies are needed to ascertain the temporal relationship between OL and chronic disease comorbidity and the mechanisms underlying these associations.

Prognostic value of serum liver enzymes in oral and oropharynx squamous cell carcinomas

BACKGROUND

Serum liver enzymes, which catalyze relevant catabolic pathways, have been indicated to be diagnostic and prognostic tools for several malignant tumors. The correlation between serum liver enzymes levels and survival in patients with oral and oropharynx squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) is still absent. Here, we conducted a study focusing on predictive value of serum liver enzymes in terms of prognosis in the patients.

METHODS

A retrospective study including 134 OSCC patients from years 2009 to 2014 was performed to investigate the association between levels of pre-treatment serum liver enzymes, various clinical parameters and prognostic outcomes, which are overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Log-rank tests with Kaplan-Meier method were used to detect potential prognostic biomarkers. Multivariate analyses by Cox proportional hazards model were used to identify significant predictors of prognosis.

RESULTS

Serum adenosine deaminase (ADA) level was associated with patients' OS and DFS by univariate analyses (P = 0.006 and P = 0.024, respectively). Multivariate analyses showed that higher serum ADA (>17.2 U/L) (P = 0.019) as well as positive lymph node status (P = 0.035) independently predicted worse OS of patients with OSCC. In addition, older age (≥60 years) (P = 0.043) and positive lymph node status (P = 0.027) were independently prognostic parameters for poorer DFS.

CONCLUSIONS

Pre-operative serum ADA levels may serve as a reliable independent prognostic predictor for OS in OSCC patients.

Lipidomic Profiling Links the Fanconi Anemia Pathway to Glycosphingolipid Metabolism in Head and Neck Cancer Cells

Purpose: Mutations in Fanconi anemia (FA) genes are common in sporadic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC), and we have previously demonstrated that FA pathway depletion in HNSCC cell lines stimulates invasion. The goal of our studies was to use a systems approach in order to define FA pathway-dependent lipid metabolism and to extract lipid-based signatures and effectors of invasion in FA-deficient cells.Experimental Design: We subjected FA-isogenic HNSCC keratinocyte cell lines to untargeted and targeted lipidomics analyses to discover novel biomarkers and candidate therapeutic targets in FA-deficient cells. Cellular invasion assays were carried out in the presence and absence of N-butyldeoxynojirimycin (NB-DNJ), a biosynthetic inhibitor of the newly identified class of gangliosides, to investigate the requirement of ganglioside upregulation in FA-deficient HNSCC cells.Results: The most notable element of the lipid profiling results was a consistent elevation of glycosphingolipids, and particularly the accumulation of gangliosides. Conversely, repression of this same class of lipids was observed upon genetic correction of FA patient-derived HNSCC cells. Functional studies demonstrate that ganglioside upregulation is required for HNSCC cell invasion driven by FA pathway loss. The motility of nontransformed keratinocytes in response to FA loss displayed a similar dependence, thus supporting early and late roles for the FA pathway in controlling keratinocyte invasion through lipid regulation.Conclusions: Elevation of glycosphingolipids including the ganglioside GM3 in response to FA loss stimulates invasive characteristics of immortalized and transformed keratinocytes. An inhibitor of glycosphingolipid biosynthesis NB-DNJ attenuates invasive characteristics of FA-deficient HNSCC cells. Clin Cancer Res; 24(11); 2700-9. ©2018 AACR.

Serum bilirubin level predicts postoperative overall survival in oral squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Aberrant level of serum bilirubin, marker of hepatobiliary and hematological disorders, was associated with patient prognosis in several human malignancies. In this study, we aim to evaluate the predictive value of serum bilirubin for clinicopathologic characteristics and survival of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).

METHODS

This study retrospectively reviewed 129 patients with OSCC and 129 normal controls matched for age and sex. The association between levels of preoperative direct bilirubin (DBIL), indirect bilirubin (IBIL), total bilirubin (TBIL), and clinical variables was analyzed. A proportional hazards regression model was used to find out the independent predictors of survival.

RESULTS

Significantly lower TBIL (P = .009) and IBIL (P < .001) were found in OSCC patients compared with normal controls. DBIL (P = .011) and lymph-node metastasis (P = .031) were found to be independent prognostic factors. Patients with higher DBIL (≥4.0 μmol/L) had longer overall survival than those with lower DBIL (P = .002). Patients with both lymph-node metastasis and lower DBIL showed the shortest overall survival (P = .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Lower DBIL was associated with a poorer prognosis and may be regarded as an independent prognostic marker for patients with OSCC.

Salivary proteome profiling of oral squamous cell carcinoma in a Hungarian population

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the seventh most common malignancy and the ninth most frequent cause of cancer death in Europe. Within Europe, Hungary has one of the highest rates of OSCC incidence and mortality. Thus, there is an urgent need to improve early detection. Saliva, as a readily available body fluid, became an increasingly important substance for the detection of biomarkers for many diseases. Different research groups have identified salivary biomarkers specific for OSCC for different countries. In this study, saliva samples of Hungarian patients with OSCC were studied to discover disease‐specific and perhaps region‐specific biomarkers. LC‐mass spectrometry (MS)/MS analysis on a linear ion trap‐Orbitrap mass spectrometer was used for qualitative and quantitative salivary protein profiling. More than 500 proteins were identified from saliva by shotgun proteomics. The up‐ and downregulated proteins in the saliva of patients with OSCC highlighted the importance of protein–protein interaction networks involving the immune system and proteolysis in disease development. Two potential biomarkers from our shotgun analysis and a third candidate reported earlier by a Taiwanese group were further examined by ELISA on a larger reference set of samples. Resistin, a biomarker reported in Taiwan but not validated in our study, highlights the necessity of application of standardized analysis methods in different ethnic or geographical populations to identify biomarkers with sufficient specificity and sensitivity.

Is Lipidomic the Answer to the Search of a Biomarker for Organ Preservation Protocol in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma?

In the last decade organ preservation protocols based on chemoradiotherapy (CRT) has been showing the possibility of preserving function without jeopardizing survival for locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Still, only a percentage of the patients will benefit from this approach and, to date, no biomarkers are known to correctly predict these patients. More recently, modern mass spectrometry method has been used to determine metabolic profiles, and lipidomics, in particular, emerged as a new field of study in oncology and other diseases. This study aimed to analyze the lipid profile on saliva from patients undergoing to a prospective, single center, open-label, non-randomized phase II trial for organ preservation on HNSCC. The lipid analysis was performed using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). Multivariate statistical analyses based on principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least square-discriminant analysis were applied to MALDI-TOF-MS data to visualize differences between the lipid profiles and identify potential biomarkers. The results assisted on distinguishing complete responders from non-responders to the treatment protocol. In conclusion, we demonstrated that a group of lipids is differentially abundant in saliva from HNSCC patients submitted to an organ preservation protocol, being able to differentiate responders from non-responders. These results suggest the potential use of lipid biomarkers to identify patients who may benefit from this treatment. Also, we showed that saliva testing might be routinely used in clinical practice, for being a non-invasive alternative to blood testing, besides inexpensive and easy to obtain.

Lipoprotein(a) and its role in inflammation, atherosclerosis and malignancies

Lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)) is a modified low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particle with an additional specific apolipoprotein (a), covalently attached to apolipoprotein B‑100 of LDL by a single thioester bond. Increased plasma Lp(a) level is a genetically determined, independent, causal risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

The precise quantification of Lp(a) in plasma is still hampered by mass-sensitive assays, large particle variation, poor standardization and lack of assay comparability.

The physiological functions of Lp(a) include wound healing, promoting tissue repair and vascular remodeling. Similarly to other lipoproteins, Lp(a) is also susceptible for oxidative modifications, leading to extensive formation of pro-inflammatory and pro-atherogenic oxidized phospholipids, oxysterols, oxidized lipid-protein adducts in Lp(a) particles, that perpetuate atherosclerotic lesion progression and intima-media thickening through induction of M1-macrophages, inflammation, autoimmunity and apoptosis. The oxidation-specific epitopes of modified lipoproteins are major targets of pre-immune, natural IgM antibodies, that may attenuate the pro-inflammatory and pro-atherogenic effects of Lp(a).

Although the data are still insufficient, recent studies suggest a potential anti-neoplastic role of Lp(a).

Analysis of lipid profile in cancer patients, smokers, and nonsmokers

Background:

Lipids play an important role in maintaining the cell membrane integrity. Lipid profile is a panel of blood tests that serve as an initial medical screening for abnormalities in lipids and approximate risk for cancer, cardiovascular diseases, pancreatitis, etc., The present study evaluates the alterations in lipid profile in cancer patients, smokers, and nonsmokers and aims to achieve a correlation between them.

Materials and Methods:

The study is an in vitro type of cross-sectional study with 25 oral cancer patients, 25 chronic smokers (habit persisting for 15 years or more), and 15 nonsmokers as control group. Blood samples had been collected, and triglycerides (TGs), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) were analyzed using a lipid profile kit and an autoanalyzer. The results were analyzed using the unpaired t-test and ANOVA test (P < 0.05).

Results:

There was a significant increase in TC, TG, LDL, and VLDL and decrease in HDL in the smokers group when compared to the controls (P < 0.05). A significant increase in LDL, but a decrease in values of HDL, VLDL, TG, and TC was observed in the cancer patients group when compared to the controls (P < 0.05).

Conclusion:

There is an inverse relationship between serum lipid profile in smokers and cancer patients. The decrease in lipid profile in cancer patients might be due to their increased utilization of lipids by neoplastic cells in membrane biogenesis. Therefore, a decrease in lipid profile in smokers can be assumed that they might be more prone to develop cancerous conditions.