Tumour tissues
showed an overall increased in the amount of membrane
phospholipids, sphingomyelins and ceramides while triacylglycerides
were unchanged. Interestingly, the most
prominent changes were seen in triple negative breast
cancers, the most aggressive form of the disease. In contrast
to normal breast tissue, lipids from the tumour
samples contained a higher proportion of saturated and
mono-unsaturated acyl chains, which are indicative of
increased reliance on de novo synthesis rather than
uptake of dietary lipids, which contain a higher proportion
of poly-unsaturated FAs