Leptin expression in colorectal and breast cancer patients

Leptin is a hormone which controls fat metabolism. Leptin plasma levels and adipose tissue mRNA expression were measured in cancer patients. Plasma le vels were correlated with TNM staging, cachexia parameters, tumour markers and hormones. Breast and colorectal cancer patients showed blood plasma lev els of insulin, TNF-alpha and tumour markers higher than controls. Breast c ancer patients, but not colorectal cancer patients, had plasma levels and a dipose tissue expression of leptin significantly higher than controls assoc iated with elevated values of estrogen- and progesterone-receptors. These d ata suggest the possible use of leptin as a clinical marker.