Keywords: NMR metabolomics; urine metabolomics; colorectal cancer; carcinogenesis

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common types of cancer. Detecting CRC at an early stage improves survival rates. This study investigates the efficacy of metabolomic technology in screening colorectal cancer in human urine. Urine from both CRC patients and healthy persons was analyzed by NMR spectrometry in conjunction with a multivariate statistics technique. Specific differences have been observed, in particular in the spectral range corresponding to some metabolites. This analysis was to compare and verify important metabolic alterations between CRC patients and healthy persons. The NMR-based metabolomics approach could offer a non-invasive diagnosis tool and help to better understand the mechanism of carcinogenesis.