Gastric Cancer
Copyright ©2008 The WJG Press and Baishideng. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jun 21, 2008; 14(23): 3633-3641
Published online Jun 21, 2008. doi: 10.3748/wjg.14.3633
Adipokines and ghrelin in gastric cancer cachexia
Mustafa Kerem, Zafer Ferahkose, Utku Tonguc Yilmaz, Hatice Pasaoglu, Ebru Ofluoglu, Abdulkadir Bedirli, Bulent Salman, Tevfik Tolga Sahin, Murat Akin
Mustafa Kerem, Zafer Ferahkose, Utku Tonguc Yilmaz, Abdulkadir Bedirli, Bulent Salman, Tevfik Tolga Sahin, Murat Akin, Department of General Surgery, Medical Faculty, Gazi University, Besevler 06510, Ankara, Turkey
Hatice Pasaoglu, Ebru Ofluoglu, Department of Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, Gazi University, Besevler 06510, Ankara, Turkey
Author contributions: Kerem M and Ferahkose Z contributed equally to this work; Kerem M, Ferahkose Z, Yilmaz UT and Bedirli A designed research; Kerem M, Yilmaz UT, Salman B, Akin M, Pasaoglu H, Ofluoglu E and Sahin TT performed research; Kerem M, Salman B and Sahin TT analysed data; Kerem M, Ferahkose Z and Bedirli A wrote the paper.
Correspondence to: Mustafa Kerem, MD, Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Gazi University, Besevler 06510, Ankara, Turkey. keremm1@yahoo.com;mkerem@gazi.edu.tr
Telephone: +90-312-2025727
Fax: +90-312-2124647
Received: February 9, 2008
Revised: May 4, 2008
Accepted: May 11, 2008
Published online: June 21, 2008
Abstract

AIM: To investigate the roles of the adipocytokines, ghrelin and leptin in gastric cancer cachexia.

METHODS: Resistin, ghrelin, leptin, adiponectin, insulin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I), were measured in 30 healthy subjects, and 60 gastric cancer patients of which 30 suffered from cancer-induced cachexia and 30 served as a control group. The relationships between hormones, body mass index (BMI) loss ratio, age, gender, and Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) were investigated.

RESULTS: Cachexia patients had higher tumor stage and GPS when compared with non-cachexia patients (P < 0.05). Ghrelin, resistin, leptin, adiponectin and IGF-I, showed a significant correlation with BMI loss ratio and GPS (P < 0.05). A strong correlation was seen between GPS and BMI loss (R = -0.570, P < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis indicated that BMI loss was significantly independent as a predictor of ghrelin, resistin, leptin and IGF-I (P < 0.05). Existence of an important significant relationship between resistin and insulin resistance was also noted.

CONCLUSION: These results showed that serum ghrelin, leptin, adiponectin, and IGF-I play important roles in cachexia-related gastric cancers. No relationship was found between resistin and cancer cachexia. Also, because of the correlation between these parameters and GPS, these parameters might be used as a predictor factor.

Keywords: Gastric cancer, Cachexia, Resistin, Ghrelin, Leptin, Adiponectin, Insuline