Plasma fatty acid levels and risk of non-small cell lung cancer: a large-scale prospective cohort study

Hua-Long Lin; Qiu-Yan Lin; Jie-Ni Feng; Wei-E Zheng; Chuang Yang; Shao-Fei Yuan

doi:10.3389/fnut.2024.1462300

Plasma fatty acid levels and risk of non-small cell lung cancer: a large-scale prospective cohort study

Front Nutr. 2024 Sep 18:11:1462300. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1462300. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Hua-Long Lin¹, Qiu-Yan Lin¹, Jie-Ni Feng¹, Wei-E Zheng², Chuang Yang³, Shao-Fei Yuan¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medical Oncology, Rui'an People's Hospital, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
² Department of Chemoradiation and Oncology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
³ Medical Faculty, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.

Abstract

Background: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) ranks among the most prevalent and lethal malignancies globally. Fatty acids (FAs) play a significant role in diverse physiological and pathological mechanisms, yet their precise involvement in NSCLC remains poorly understood.

Methods: This study utilized a large-scale prospective cohort of 249,132 participants, observed over an average of 12 years, to investigate the relationship between different FAs and NSCLC risk. Analytical approaches included Cox proportional hazards regression, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, accelerated failure time (AFT) modeling, and restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis.

Results: During the follow-up period, 1,460 participants were diagnosed with NSCLC. Cox regression analysis demonstrated that elevated levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), linoleic acid (LA), and omega-3 were inversely associated with NSCLC risk. Kaplan-Meier curves, along with AFT models, corroborated that elevated concentrations of DHA and LA significantly delayed NSCLC onset. Additionally, RCS analysis uncovered nuanced dose-response relationships between these FAs and NSCLC. Stratified analyses highlighted variability based on smoking status, gender, and body mass index subgroups.

Conclusion: The concentration of specific FAs exhibits a significant association with NSCLC risk. These results offer a foundation for devising dietary FA composition adjustments aimed at reducing NSCLC risk.

Keywords: UK Biobank; cancer prevention; fatty acids; non-small cell lung cancer; prospective cohort study.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study was supported by the project of Science and Technology Plan of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Zhejiang Province, “Research on the material basis and mechanism of action of Pingxiao tablets to improve non-small cell lung cancer based on the theory of positive deficiency and toxicity” (2023ZL170), and by the project of Basic Science Research of Wenzhou Municipality, “Research on the mechanism of improvement of non-small cell lung cancer through miR-29b regulation of TGF-β-Smad signaling by Pingxiao capsule based on the theory of Supporting the Righteous to Cure Cancer” (Y2023906).