Multi-omics Analysis Reveals Adipose-tumor Crosstalk in Patients with Colorectal Cancer

Obesity and obesity-driven cancer rates are continuing to rise worldwide. We hypothesize that adipocyte-colonocyte interactions are a key driver of obesity-associated cancers. To understand the clinical relevance of visceral adipose tissue in advancing tumor growth, we analyzed paired tumoradjacent visceral adipose, normal mucosa, and colorectal tumor tissues as well as presurgery blood samples from patients with sporadic colorectal cancer. We report that high peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARG) visceral adipose tissue expression is associated with glycoprotein VI (GPVI) signaling-the major signaling receptor for collagen-as well as fibrosis and adipogenesis pathway signaling in colorectal tumors. These associations were supported by correlations between PPARG visceral adipose tissue expression and circulating levels of plasma 4-hydroxyproline and serum intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM1), as well as gene set enrichment analysis and joint gene-metabolite pathway results integration that yielded significant enrichment of genes defining epithelialto-mesenchymal transition-as in fibrosis and metastasisand genes involved in glycolytic metabolism, confirmed this association. We also reveal that elevated prostaglandinendoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) colorectal tumor expression is associated with a fibrotic signature in adipose-tumor crosstalk via GPVI signaling and dendritic cell maturation in visceral adipose tissue. Systemic metabolite and biomarker profiling confirmed that high PTGS2 expression in colorectal tumors is significantly associated with higher concentrations of serum amyloidAand glycine, and lower concentrations of sphingomyelin, in patients with colorectal cancer. This multi-omics study suggests that adipose-tumor crosstalk in patients with colorectal cancer is a critical microenvironment interaction that could be therapeutically targeted

Higher vitamin B6 status is associated with improved survival among patients with stage I-III colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND: Folate-mediated 1-carbon metabolism requires several nutrients, including vitamin B6. Circulating biomarker concentrations indicating high vitamin B6 status are associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, little is known about the effect of B6 status in relation to clinical outcomes in CRC patients. OBJECTIVES: We investigated survival outcomes in relation to vitamin B6 status in prospectively followed CRC patients. METHODS: A total of 2031 patients with stage I-III CRC participated in 6 prospective patient cohorts in the international FOCUS (folate-dependent 1-carbon metabolism in colorectal cancer recurrence and survival) Consortium. Preoperative blood samples were used to measure vitamin B6 status by the direct marker pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP), as well as the functional marker HK-ratio (HKr)[3'-hydroxykynurenine: (kynurenic acid + xanthurenic acid + 3'-hydroxy anthranilic acid + anthranilic acid)]. Using Cox proportional hazards regression, we examined associations of vitamin B6 status with overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and risk of recurrence, adjusted for patient age, sex, circulating creatinine concentrations, tumor site, stage, and cohort. RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 3.2 y for OS, higher preoperative vitamin B6 status as assessed by PLP and the functional marker HKr was associated with 16-32% higher all-cause and disease-free survival, although there was no significant association with disease recurrence (doubling in PLP concentration: HROS, 0.68; 95% CI: 0.59, 0.79; HRDFS, 0.84; 95% CI: 0.75, 0.94; HRRecurrence, 0.96; 95% CI: 0.84, 1.09; HKr: HROS, 2.04; 95% CI: 1.67, 2.49; HRDFS, 1.56; 95% CI: 1.31, 1.85; HRRecurrence, 1.21; 95% CI: 0.96,1. 52). The association of PLP with improved OS was consistent across colorectal tumor site (right-sided colon: HROS, 0.75; 95% CI: 0.59, 0.96; left-sided colon: HROS, 0.71; 95% CI: 0.55, 0.92; rectosigmoid junction and rectum: HROS, 0.61; 95% CI: 0.47, 0.78). CONCLUSION: Higher preoperative vitamin B6 status is associated with improved OS among stage I-III CRC patients