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Tsilingiris D, Vallianou NG, Spyrou N, Kounatidis D, Christodoulatos GS, Karampela I, Dalamaga M. Obesity and Leukemia: Biological Mechanisms, Perspectives, and Challenges. Curr Obes Rep 2024; 13:1-34. [PMID: 38159164 PMCID: PMC10933194 DOI: 10.1007/s13679-023-00542-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW To examine the epidemiological data on obesity and leukemia; evaluate the effect of obesity on leukemia outcomes in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) survivors; assess the potential mechanisms through which obesity may increase the risk of leukemia; and provide the effects of obesity management on leukemia. Preventive (diet, physical exercise, obesity pharmacotherapy, bariatric surgery) measures, repurposing drugs, candidate therapeutic agents targeting oncogenic pathways of obesity and insulin resistance in leukemia as well as challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic are also discussed. RECENT FINDINGS Obesity has been implicated in the development of 13 cancers, such as breast, endometrial, colon, renal, esophageal cancers, and multiple myeloma. Leukemia is estimated to account for approximately 2.5% and 3.1% of all new cancer incidence and mortality, respectively, while it represents the most frequent cancer in children younger than 5 years. Current evidence indicates that obesity may have an impact on the risk of leukemia. Increased birthweight may be associated with the development of childhood leukemia. Obesity is also associated with worse outcomes and increased mortality in leukemic patients. However, there are several limitations and challenges in meta-analyses and epidemiological studies. In addition, weight gain may occur in a substantial number of childhood ALL survivors while the majority of studies have documented an increased risk of relapse and mortality among patients with childhood ALL and obesity. The main pathophysiological pathways linking obesity to leukemia include bone marrow adipose tissue; hormones such as insulin and the insulin-like growth factor system as well as sex hormones; pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6 and TNF-α; adipocytokines, such as adiponectin, leptin, resistin, and visfatin; dyslipidemia and lipid signaling; chronic low-grade inflammation and oxidative stress; and other emerging mechanisms. Obesity represents a risk factor for leukemia, being among the only known risk factors that could be prevented or modified through weight loss, healthy diet, and physical exercise. Pharmacological interventions, repurposing drugs used for cardiometabolic comorbidities, and bariatric surgery may be recommended for leukemia and obesity-related cancer prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitrios Tsilingiris
- First Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Democritus University of Thrace, Dragana, 68100, Alexandroupolis, Greece
| | - Natalia G Vallianou
- Department of Internal Medicine, Evangelismos General Hospital, 45-47 Ipsilantou str, 10676, Athens, Greece
| | - Nikolaos Spyrou
- Tisch Cancer Institute Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1190 One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Dimitris Kounatidis
- Department of Internal Medicine, Evangelismos General Hospital, 45-47 Ipsilantou str, 10676, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Irene Karampela
- 2nd Department of Critical Care, Medical School, University of Athens, Attikon General University Hospital, 1 Rimini Str, 12462, Athens, Greece
| | - Maria Dalamaga
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 75 Mikras Asias str, 11527, Athens, Greece.
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Cyske Z, Gaffke L, Pierzynowska K, Węgrzyn G. Expression of Long Noncoding RNAs in Fibroblasts from Mucopolysaccharidosis Patients. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:genes14020271. [PMID: 36833198 PMCID: PMC9957086 DOI: 10.3390/genes14020271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 12/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
In this report, changes in the levels of various long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) were demonstrated for the first time in fibroblasts derived from patients suffering from 11 types/subtypes of mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS). Some kinds of lncRNA (SNHG5, LINC01705, LINC00856, CYTOR, MEG3, and GAS5) were present at especially elevated levels (an over six-fold change relative to the control cells) in several types of MPS. Some potential target genes for these lncRNAs were identified, and correlations between changed levels of specific lncRNAs and modulations in the abundance of mRNA transcripts of these genes (HNRNPC, FXR1, TP53, TARDBP, and MATR3) were found. Interestingly, the affected genes code for proteins involved in various regulatory processes, especially gene expression control through interactions with DNA or RNA regions. In conclusion, the results presented in this report suggest that changes in the levels of lncRNAs can considerably influence the pathomechanism of MPS through the dysregulation of the expression of certain genes, especially those involved in the control of the activities of other genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuzanna Cyske
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Lidia Gaffke
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Karolina Pierzynowska
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Grzegorz Węgrzyn
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +48-58-523-6024
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Al-Mahayri ZN, AlAhmad MM, Ali BR. Long-Term Effects of Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Chemotherapy: Can Recent Findings Inform Old Strategies? Front Oncol 2021; 11:710163. [PMID: 34722258 PMCID: PMC8554193 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.710163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
During the last few decades, pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cure rates have improved significantly with rates exceeding 90%. Parallel to this remarkable improvement, there has been mounting interest in the long-term health of the survivors. Consequently, modified treatment protocols have been developed and resulted in the reduction of many adverse long-term consequences. Nevertheless, these are still substantial concerns that warrant further mitigation efforts. In the current review, pediatric-ALL survivors’ late adverse events, including secondary malignant neoplasms (SMNs), cardiac toxicity, neurotoxicity, bone toxicity, hepatic dysfunction, visual changes, obesity, impact on fertility, and neurocognitive effects have been evaluated. Throughout this review, we attempted to answer a fundamental question: can the recent molecular findings mitigate pediatric-ALL chemotherapy’s long-term sequelae on adult survivors? For SMNs, few genetic predisposition factors have been identified including TP53 and POT1 variants. Other treatment-related risk factors have been identified such as anthracyclines’ possible association with breast cancer in female survivors. Cardiotoxicity is another significant and common adverse event with some germline variants been found, albeit with conflicting evidence, to increase the risk of cardiac toxicity. For peripheral neurotoxicity, vincristine is the primary neurotoxic agent in ALL regimens. Some germline genetic variants were found to be associated with the vincristine neurotoxic effect’s vulnerability. However, these were mainly detected with acute neuropathy. Moreover, the high steroid doses and prolonged use increase bone toxicity and obesity risk with some pharmacogenetic biomarkers were associated with increased steroid sensitivity. Therefore, the role of these biomarkers in tailoring steroid choice and dose is a promising research area. Future directions in pediatric ALL treatment should consider the various opportunities provided by genomic medicine. Understanding the molecular bases underlying toxicities will classify patients into risk groups and implement a closer follow-up to those at higher risk. Pharmacogenetic-guided dosing and selecting between alternative agents have proven their efficacy in the short-term management of childhood ALL. It is the right time to think about a similar approach for the life-long consequences on survivors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeina N Al-Mahayri
- Department of Genetics and Genomics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Mohammad M AlAhmad
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Al-Ain University, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Bassam R Ali
- Department of Genetics and Genomics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates.,Zayed Center for Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates
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Iijima M, Liu W, Panetta JC, Hudson MM, Pui CH, Srivastava DK, Krull KR, Inaba H. Association between obesity and neurocognitive function in survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated only with chemotherapy. Cancer 2021; 127:3202-3213. [PMID: 33914910 PMCID: PMC8355093 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.33624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Revised: 04/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neurocognitive impairment and obesity are common adverse sequelae in survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL); however, the association has not been investigated. METHODS Neurocognitive function was evaluated once in survivors of ALL who were at least 8 years old and 5 years from their diagnosis. In a cross-sectional analysis, the associations with the body mass index (BMI) category and Z score were examined. A longitudinal analysis used the overweight/obesity area under the curve (AUC), which was determined via the trapezoidal rule by a sum of the integrals defined by the BMI Z score at each time point and the time intervals of the BMI measurement. RESULTS For 210 survivors, the median BMI Z score at diagnosis was 0.17, which increased to 0.54 at the end of induction and to 0.74 at the neurocognitive assessment. In the cross-sectional analysis, overweight/obese survivors scored significantly lower than others on the measures of executive function (cognitive flexibility, planning, verbal fluency, working memory, and spatial construction; all P < .05), attention (attention span and risk taking; all P < .05), and processing speed (visual motor coordination, visual speed, and motor speed; all P < .05). In the longitudinal analysis, when the treatment period was subdivided into 4 time periods (induction, consolidation, early maintenance, and late maintenance), a greater overweight/obesity AUC during induction therapy was associated with worse cognitive flexibility (P = .01) and slower motor speed (P = .02), which persisted throughout the treatment. CONCLUSIONS Overweight/obesity was significantly associated with neurocognitive impairment during long-term follow-up, and this association started early in treatment for ALL. Novel early interventions to provide cognitive training and prevent weight gain are required for patients at risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayuko Iijima
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Wei Liu
- Department of Biostatistics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - John C. Panetta
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Melissa M. Hudson
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
- Department of Psychology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Ching-Hon Pui
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Deo Kumar Srivastava
- Department of Biostatistics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Kevin R. Krull
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
- Department of Psychology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Hiroto Inaba
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
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Bélanger V, Benmoussa A, Napartuk M, Warin A, Laverdière C, Marcoux S, Levy E, Marcil V. The Role of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Cardiometabolic Health of Children During Cancer Treatment and Potential Impact of Key Nutrients. Antioxid Redox Signal 2021; 35:293-318. [PMID: 33386063 DOI: 10.1089/ars.2020.8143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Significance: The 5-year survival rate of childhood cancers is now reaching 84%. However, treatments cause numerous acute and long-term side effects. These include cardiometabolic complications, namely hypertension, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and increased fat mass. Recent Advances: Many antineoplastic treatments can induce oxidative stress (OxS) and trigger an inflammatory response, which may cause acute and chronic side effects. Critical Issues: Clinical studies have reported a state of heightened OxS and inflammation during cancer treatment in children as the result of treatment cytotoxic action on both cancerous and noncancerous cells. Higher levels of OxS and inflammation are associated with treatment side effects and with the development of cardiometabolic complications. Key nutrients (omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, dietary antioxidants, probiotics, and prebiotics) have the potential to modulate inflammatory and oxidative responses and, therefore, could be considered in the search for adverse complication prevention means as long as antineoplastic treatment efficiency is maintained. Future Directions: There is a need to better understand the relationship between cardiometabolic complications, OxS, inflammation and diet during pediatric cancer treatment, which represents the ultimate goal of this review. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 35, 293-318.
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Affiliation(s)
- Véronique Bélanger
- Research Centre, CHU Sainte-Justine University Health Centre, Montreal, Canada.,Department of Nutrition, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada.,Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods, Laval University, Quebec City, Canada
| | - Abderrahim Benmoussa
- Research Centre, CHU Sainte-Justine University Health Centre, Montreal, Canada.,Department of Nutrition, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada.,Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods, Laval University, Quebec City, Canada
| | - Mélanie Napartuk
- Research Centre, CHU Sainte-Justine University Health Centre, Montreal, Canada.,Department of Nutrition, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada.,Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods, Laval University, Quebec City, Canada
| | - Alexandre Warin
- Research Centre, CHU Sainte-Justine University Health Centre, Montreal, Canada
| | | | - Sophie Marcoux
- Department of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada
| | - Emile Levy
- Research Centre, CHU Sainte-Justine University Health Centre, Montreal, Canada.,Department of Nutrition, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada.,Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods, Laval University, Quebec City, Canada.,Department of Pediatrics, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada
| | - Valérie Marcil
- Research Centre, CHU Sainte-Justine University Health Centre, Montreal, Canada.,Department of Nutrition, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada.,Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods, Laval University, Quebec City, Canada
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