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Cancer and lipid depletion
Author(s) -
Mays E. Truman
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
journal of surgical oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.201
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1096-9098
pISSN - 0022-4790
DOI - 10.1002/jso.2930030503
Subject(s) - cancer , medicine , cholesterol , in vivo , concomitant , lipid metabolism , endocrinology , urine , biology , microbiology and biotechnology
Hyperlipemia developing in tumor‐bearing animals concomitant with depletion of carcass lipid prompted study of human cancers. Gross lipemia when liver function is normal is infrequent in human cancer. Mean serum triglycerides and unesterified fatty acids (UFA) are higher than in normal individuals, but no greater than in patients undergoing severe fat depletion from causes other than cancer. Total plasma fatty acids and cholesterol concentrations in human cancer are normal. An in vivo rat assay for fat‐mobilizing substances in the urine and plasma of cancer patients was negative. The mobilization of carcass lipid in human cancer appears to be in response to an energy deficit created by actively synthesizing tumor tissue. There is no significant difference between nonneoplastic surgery and resective surgery for cancer in regard to mobilization of fat for energy substrates. Even though humans with malignancies deplete their fat stores, they are still able to respond to surgical stress by mobilizing fat from storage depots and transiently elevating plasma UFA.