A single preoperative blood sample may help improve the prediction of recurrence or metastasis in patients with colorectal cancer. A joint research team from KAIST, Gangnam Severance Hospital and Asan Medical Center has shown that, as colorectal cancer advances, the network of relationships among circulating amino acids (a kind of metabolic map) undergoes systematic remodeling.
Building on this finding, the researchers developed an analytical method that showed higher predictive performance than a CEA-only model and models based solely on individual amino acid levels. The findings were published in Advanced Science.
Tracking metabolism as a network
The joint research team led by professor Ji Min Lee from the Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering and professor Hyunwoo Kim from the Department of Chemistry, in collaboration with researchers at Gangnam Severance Hospital and Asan Medical Center, developed a new framework for analyzing networks of circulating amino acids, which reflect the body's metabolic state.
Using this framework, the team showed that the circulating amino acid network undergoes stage-dependent remodeling that reflects systemic metabolic reprogramming. The team then used these network-derived features to develop a new analytical strategy for predicting recurrence or metastasis.
