Potential Biomarkers in Bladder Cancer

Baltacıoğlu A., Acar O., Sönmez C., Sağlıcan Y., Argun Ö. B., Kural A. R., ...More

Uluslararası Proteomik Kongresi // 7. Ulusal Proteomik Kongresi, İstanbul, Turkey, 18 - 19 September 2025, pp.38, (Summary Text)

  • Publication Type: Conference Paper / Summary Text
  • City: İstanbul
  • Country: Turkey
  • Page Numbers: pp.38
  • Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Aim: Bladder cancer is one of the most common malignancies of the urinary tract, and there is a need for non-invasive and reliable biomarkers to support early diagnosis and patient management. The aim of this study was to quantitatively evaluate the serum levels of trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), choline, carnitine, and betaine metabolites that have been increasingly recognized in the literature as potential biomarkers using LC-MS/MS in bladder cancer patients compared with healthy individuals. By assessing the diagnostic performance of these metabolites, the study seeks to provide novel insights into their potential use as non-invasive diagnostic tools.

 

Methods: Serum samples were collected from 52 healthy controls and 47 bladder cancer patients, including 22 Ta and 25 T1 cases. Quantitative analysis of TMAO, choline, carnitine, and betaine was performed using a validated LC-MS/MS method. Descriptive statistics were generated, and comparative analyses between groups were conducted using the Mann–Whitney U test. In addition, Spearman’s rank correlation analysis was applied to investigate the associations between metabolite levels and clinical parameters such as age and body weight.

 

Results: The correlation analysis revealed that TMAO displayed the strongest positive association with tumor stage, followed by carnitine and choline, while no significant association was observed for betaine. Neither age nor body weight had a significant influence on metabolite levels. Group comparisons indicated that all metabolites, except betaine, showed significant differences between patients and controls, suggesting their potential role in distinguishing bladder cancer cases from healthy individuals.

 

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that TMAO, carnitine, and choline may serve as promising serum biomarkers for the non-invasive detection of bladder cancer, while betaine demonstrated limited diagnostic utility. These results provide supportive evidence that serum metabolite profiling using LC-MS/MS could contribute to the development of more reliable diagnostic strategies and may ultimately improve early detection and clinical decision-making in bladder cancer.