The serum levels of leptin and adiponectin in endometrial carcinoma and their association with histopathological factors.

INTRODUCTION

Adipokines like leptin and adiponectin are hypothesized to play a role in the development of obesity-related cancers like endometrial cancers by influencing inflammation, angiogenesis, apoptosis, and tumorigenesis. We aimed to study the association between serum leptin and adiponectin and the risk of endometrial cancer.

METHODS

We conducted a case-control study to determine the serum levels of leptin and adiponectin in 55 cases of newly diagnosed endometrial cancer and 25 cases of matched controls. We also sought to determine the association between serum adipokine levels and histopathological factors such as grade, myometrial invasion, and tumor metastasis after categorizing them into tertile datasets.

RESULTS

Compared to controls, patients with endometrial cancer had higher median levels of leptin (59.7 vs 38.0 ng/mL, P = 0.001) and lower levels of adiponectin (8.5 vs 9.5 ug/mL, P = 0.906). Leptin to adiponectin (L: A) ratio in cases was significantly higher than those in controls (8.6 vs 4.2, P = 0.001). The receiver operating curve for L: A ratio at a cut-off of 5.4 was able to reliably differentiate between cases and controls with a sensitivity of 69.1% and specificity of 64.0%. Higher levels of leptin and L: A ratio were significantly associated with the risk of endometrial cancer after adjusting for age and BMI (OR T3 vs T1 = 8.53, 95% CI, 1.26-57.75; P = 0.028 and OR T3 vs T1 = 7.93, 95% CI, 1.62-38.85; P = 0.011, respectively). Neither prognostic indicators (grade, stage, and myometrial invasion) nor survival outcomes were significantly affected by serum leptin and adiponectin levels.

CONCLUSION

Higher levels of serum leptin and Leptin to adiponectin (L: A) ratio significantly correlated with endometrial cancer risk. Though adiponectin levels were lower in cases than in controls, this did not reach statistical significance. Adipokine levels did not show any correlation with prognostic histopathological factors.