Prognostic relevance of serum levels and cellular expression of adiponectin in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

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Prognostic relevance of serum levels and cellular expression of adiponectin in

B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Stefano Molica, Gaetano Vitelli, Giovanna Cutrona, Katia Todoerti, nna

Mirabelli, Giovanna Digiesi, relli, Isabella Sperduti, Matteo

Molica, Massimo Gentile, Fortunato Morabito, Antonino Neri, and Manlio Ferrarini

Int J Hematol, September 27, 2008; .

Medical Oncology Unit, Hematology-Oncology Department, Azienda Ospedaliera

Pugliese-Ciaccio, Viale Pio X, 88100, Catanzaro, Italy, smolica@....

The correlation between well-established biological parameters of prognostic

relevance in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) [i.e., mutational status

of the immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region (IgV(H)), ZAP-70- and

CD38-expression] and adiponectin serum concentration was evaluated in a cohort

of 69 previously untreated Binet stage A CLL patients. Adiponectin levels

inversely correlated with absolute peripheral blood lymphocyte count (r =

-0.254; P = 0.03), CD38-positive CLL cells (r = -0.294; P = 0.04) and ZAP-70 (r

= -0.285; P = 0.03). The univariate proportional hazard model demonstrated

that, in addition with lower serum levels of adiponectin (P = 0.01), the

unmutated IgV(H) condition (P = 0.002) and ZAP-70-positivity (P = 0.02) were

associated with a shorter time to first treatment (TFT). However, in

multivariate analysis only ZAP-70 positivity emerged as predictor of the TFT (P

= 0.008). The levels of adiponectin in CLL were evaluated in 60 patients from an

independent cohort investigated by gene expression profiling. Adiponectin gene

expression was invariably low suggesting a limited (if any) role of leukemic

cells in the production of circulating adiponectin levels. In contrast, both

adiponectin receptor 1 (AdipoR1) and AdipoR2 mRNA were highly expressed by CLL

cells with a degree of inter-patient variability. Our results, although

preliminary, lend support to the idea that adiponectin secretion by bone marrow

adipocytes might represent a possible promising drug target in the field of

hematology.

PMID: 18818986