The prognostic value of adipokine receptors leptinR and adiponectinR1 in obesity-inducible solid tumours.

Background: With the rising incidence of life expectancy, obesity, and tumours, understanding the incretory influence of adipose tissue in tumorigenesis becomes increasingly important. As the adipokines leptin and adiponectin are released by fat tissue, we aimed to analyse the expression of their respective receptors in tumours for which an association with obesity is epidemiologically hypothesised.

Methods: The expression of leptinR and adipoR1 were analysed in cohorts of renal cell cancer (n=391), cervical cancer (n=155), vulvar cancer (n=107), and endometrial cancer (n=90) by immunohistochemistry and correlated with clinicopathological parameters including survival times.

Results: Expression of leptinR was high in renal cell cancer (62.2% of cases), vulvar carcinoma (50%), and endometrial cancer (80.5% of tissue-samples). High expression was associated with favourable clinicopathological markers and longer overall survival times in renal cell and vulvar cancer. AdipoR1 was only weakly expressed in all four tumour entities and did not show significant associations with clinicopathological parameters or prognosis.

Conclusion: High leptinR is a promising biomarker of favourable tumour outcomes in renal cell carcinoma and vulvar carcinoma.