Liquid biopsy metabolomics as a novel strategy for biomarker discovery in Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) and Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA)

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is the most significant risk factor for the development of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA); up to 20% of patients with PSC develop CCA during their lifetime. Currently, the accuracy of diagnostic methods for PSC-CCA is far from satisfactory, resulting in late-stage disease diagnosis, when no curative treatments are applicable. Hence, CCA is responsible for more than 30% of PSC-related deaths. Recently, metabolomics has led to development of a novel accurate biomarker identification strategy, given that specific changes in serum concentrations of certain metabolites constitute a global phenotype. In this study, we aimed to identify precise non-invasive PSC biomarkers, for the early diagnosis and prediction of CCA by the analysis of low‐molecular‐weight metabolites

through new high‐throughput techniques. Thus, this novel liquid-biopsy strategy may help in the personalized care of patients at risk of CCA, such as PSC.