Abstract
BACKGROUND: Metabolic reprogramming is a significant hallmark of NK/T-cell lymphoma (NKTCL). A comprehensive analysis of the alterations in the metabolic landscape of NKTCL is crucial for facilitating early non-invasive screening and providing new therapeutic strategies. METHODS: In this study, we employed a non-targeted approach using liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) to analyze the plasma of 92 NKTCL patients and 28 healthy controls, comparing the metabolic profiles of both groups. RESULTS: We found significant differences in the plasma metabolic landscape between NKTCL patients and healthy individuals. The differential metabolites were primarily enriched in purine metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism, pyrimidine metabolism, and arginine biosynthesis pathways. Three of these metabolites were used to construct a diagnostic model, demonstrating good diagnostic and therapeutic efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: Utilizing LC-HRMS for non-targeted metabolomics can aid in the early screening of NKTCL and provide new therapeutic insights and theoretical foundations.