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Abstract Background Many studies have demonstrated that right-sided colon cancer (RCC) has a higher mortality rate and worse prognosis than left-sided colon cancer (LCC). However, the underlying biological mechanism that can account for these differences is unclear. Methods In this study, plasma metabolic profiles in 147 LCC patients and 105 RCC patients were systematically analyzed by the ultra high performance liquid chromatography quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF/MS) platform in conjunction with univariate and multivariate statistical analysis. Results Metabolic signatures revealed considerable differences between patients with RCC and LCC, and clear separations were observed between the two groups in partial least-squares discriminant analysis score plots. In total, six metabolites were identified as potential metabolite markers for tumor location in RCC compared with LCC, including upregulated trimethylamine N-oxide and indoxyl sulfate, and downregulated anserine, L-targinine, gamma-glutamyl-gamma-aminobutyraldehyde and pyridoxal 5′-phosphate. These differences highlight that significant alternations occur in the pathways of methane metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism, histidine metabolism, beta-alanine metabolism and vitamin B6 metabolism in RCC compared with LCC. Conclusions Identified biomarkers and metabolic pathways may facilate our understanding of the different mortality rates and prognoses between RCC and LCC. Highlights • Metabolic signatures revealed considerable differences between RCC and LCC. • Six metabolites were identified as potential biomarkers for tumor location. • Metabolomics facilated our understanding of the differences between RCC and LCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To assess the association between patterns of distant metastases and overall survival in metastatic ovarian cancer and identify prognostic factors for site-specific distant metastases. Methods Data was obtained from the SEER database between 2010 and 2014. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were used to identify variables associated with overall survival. Survival times between different groups were compared using Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank tests. Results We analyzed 1481 patients. The most common distant metastatic site was liver, followed by distant lymph nodes, lung, bone, and brain. The site of distant metastases was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival. Using liver metastases as reference, overall survival was lower for lung metastases ( p  = 0.0297) and higher for distant lymph node metastases ( p  = 0.0006). Using distant lymph nodes as reference, distant metastases to the liver ( p  = 0.0006), lung ( p  < 0.0001), brain ( p  = 0.0455), and bone ( p  = 0.0138) were all associated with worse overall survival. The number of metastatic sites did not affect overall survival. We also found that surgery and chemotherapy affected overall survival for patients with distant lymph node metastases only; age, histological subtype, surgery, and chemotherapy affected overall survival for patients with liver metastases only, while histological subtype and chemotherapy affected overall survival for patients with lung metastases only. Conclusions The site of distant metastases affected overall survival in metastatic ovarian cancer. Patients with specific distant metastatic sites should receive special treatment and management. The identified prognostic factors can help clinician evaluate the prognosis for ovarian cancer patients with distant metastases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]