Adiponectin and Leptin Imbalance in Breast Cancer Patients with Metabolic Syndrome: A Case–Control Study Evaluating Diagnostic and Clinicopathological Associations Adipokines in breast cancer with MetS
Abstract
Background: Breast cancer is prevalent among women globally and is linked to metabolic syndrome (MetS). Adipokines are implicated in tumor development by influencing metabolic and inflammatory processes. This study evaluated serum adiponectin and leptin levels of breast cancer patients with MetS and their association with clinicopathological tumour characteristics.
Methods: A case-control study was conducted in 150 females aged 35-70 years. Cases included 75 newly diagnosed breast cancer with MetS and controls were 75 with MeS matched for age and body mass index (BMI). Serum adiponectin and leptin levels were analysed by direct ELISA and the data using multivariate analysis, ANOVA/Kruskal–Wallis tests, and ROC curve analysis as appropriate.
Results: The serum adiponectin levels were significantly lower (7.32 ± 2.54 ng/ml vs 8.67 ± 3.78 ng/ml; p =0.011) and leptin levels were significantly higher (2127.79 ± 244.05 pg/ml vs 1568.21 ± 452.06 pg/ml; p < 0.001) in cases than controls. Adiponectin and leptin showed significant variation across BMI and BI-RADS categories in cases. Leptin levels were significantly associated with Modified Bloom-Richardson score and ER/PR receptor status and remained independently associated with breast cancer in multivariate analysis (adjusted OR = 1.005, 95% CI: 1.002–1.009; p = 0.005). ROC analysis demonstrated the superior diagnostic value of leptin (AUC = 0.847; 95% CI: 0.785–0.909; sensitivity 78.7%, specificity 81.3%) over adiponectin.
Conclusion: The high adipokine imbalance depicted as low levels of adiponectin and high leptin levels imply their potential as adjunctive biomarkers for identifying the risk of breast cancer in women with MetS.
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