The role of adiponectin, LEPTIN, and ghrelin in the progress and prognosis of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Abstract

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common pediatric malignancy. Dysregulation of adipokine pathways is implicated in the carcinogenesis and ALL. The aim of this study is to present the most recent data available regarding the role of leptin, adiponectin and ghrelin in the pathogenesis and prognosis of ALL. The PubMed database was searched using ‘Leptin’, ‘Adiponectin’, ‘Ghrelin’, ‘Cancer’, ‘Children’ and ‘Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia’ as keywords. The majority of the studies indicated that leptin levels are increased and adiponectin levels are decreased in ALL children at diagnosis, as well as in ALL survivors. Ghrelin levels were found to be lower at diagnosis and progressively increased during treatment. Further research is warranted, as the heterogeneity of the current studies, various treatment protocols and differences in sample sizes make it difficult to deduce solid conclusions regarding the role of adipokines in ALL.

Keywords:

• Leptin
• adiponectin
• ghrelin
• acute lymphoblastic leukemia
• cancer
• children

Potential conflict of interest

Disclosure forms provided by the authors are available with the full text of this article online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10428194.2019.1569230.