A Study on the Association Between Blood Fatty Acids and Serum Albumin Levels in Patients with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

LIU Xiangrong; YANG Bo; ZHANG Xiaoling; FENG Jie; LIU Lu; LIU Yinghua

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1674-4136.2025.06.004

Abstract：Objective Albumin(ALB)is a sensitive and routinely measured immunonutritional marker in malignancies,and nutritional and inflammatory status in cancer patients are closely associated with prognosis.This study aimed to investigate the association between blood fatty acid levels and serum ALB levels in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC),thereby providing a theoretical basis for precision nutritional interventions using omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in cancer management.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted,enrolling 110 patients who visited the First Medical Center of the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army between June 2025 and November 2025.Data on participants'baseline characteristics,clinical information,laboratory test results,and fasting blood fatty acid profiles were collected.Participants were divided into four groups according to quartiles of ALB levels,and intergroup differences in blood fatty acids and other variables were compared.Univariate linear regression analyses were performed between ALB and each of the aforementioned variables.Variables showing statistical significance in the univariate analyses were subsequently included in a multivariate linear regression model to assess their independent associations with ALB.Results Significant intergroup differences were observed in palmitic acid,margaric acid,heptadecenoic acid,stearic acid,docosahexaenoic acid,pentadecanoic acid,palmitoleic acid,α-linolenic acid,eicosapentaenoic acid(EPA),the ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids(PUFAs)index,the ω-6 PUFAs/ω-3 PUFAs ratio,the arachidonic acid(AA)/EPA ratio,ω-3 PUFAs,vitamins A and B6,β2-microglobulin,and transferrin.Univariate linear regression analyses revealed that γ-linolenic acid and EPA were positively associated with ALB levels in patients with advanced NSCLC,whereas stearic acid,eicosenoic acid,erucic acid,nervonic acid,and the AA/EPA ratio were negatively associated with ALB.Multivariate linear regression analysis further identified EPA and the AA/EPA ratio as independent factors associated with ALB levels in these patients:EPA showed a positive association(P=0.004),while the AA/EPA ratio exhibited a negative association(P＜0.001).Conclusions Blood EPA levels and the AA/EPA ratio were independently associated with serum ALB levels in patients with advanced NSCLC.Precision nutritional intervention through supplementation with EPA-containing compounds to elevate blood EPA levels may improve nutritional and inflammatory status,thereby potentially enhancing prognosis and prolonging survival in these patients.