Serum metabolomic profiling of prostate cancer risk in the prostate, lung, colorectal, and ovarian cancer screening trial

Background: Two recent metabolomic analyses found serum lipid, energy, and other metabolites related to aggressive prostate cancer risk up to 20 years prior to diagnosis. Methods: We conducted a serum metabolomic investigation of prostate cancer risk in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial that included annual serum total prostate-specific antigen measurement and digital rectal examination. This nested study included 380 cases diagnosed post-screening and 380 controls individually matched to cases on age, race, study centre, and blood-collection date (median time to diagnosis, 10 years (range 4.4–17 years)). Sera were analysed on a high-resolution accurate mass platform of ultrahigh-performance liquid and gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy that identified 695 known metabolites. Logistic regression conditioned on the matching factors estimated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals of risk associated with an 80th percentile increase in the log-metabolite signal. Results: Twenty-seven metabolites were associated with prostate cancer at P