Figure 4

Pathway analysis derived by comparison of the relative abundance of metabolites from sera derived from patients with locoregional CRC and liver-only metastases, as determined by GC-MS. More centrally located molecules in the illustrated networks have a greater probability of participating in the biological processes involved in metastasis, but also represent hubs of diverse known biological functions. (a) The first network highlights the contribution of mediators of proliferation, apoptosis and energy consumption, as well as a prominent role of inflammatory mediators. As indicated, some of the molecules putatively involved are known for their contribution to the pathogenesis of metastasis in colorectal cancer. (b) The second network demonstrates that inflammatory processes are highly involved in the metastatic process.