Nesfatin-1 in advanced lung cancer patients with weight loss

The cachexia occurs frequently in lung cancer patients. Among appetite regulatory peptides, alteration of expressions of leptin and ghrelin is demonstrated in cachectic cancer patients, but nesfatin-1 has not been yet studied in cancer. We investigated serum nesfatin-1 level in advanced lung cancer patients. Forty-one lung cancer patients and 24 healthy subjects were included to the study. Nesfatin-1 serum levels were analyzed by ELISA kit. Serum nesfatin-1 levels were lower in lung cancer patients than in healthy subjects (0.52±0.19ng/ml vs 0.75±0.23ng/ml; p<0.001). In lung cancer patients with weight loss, nesfatin-1 levels were decreased compared to the patients without weight loss (0.44±0.16ng/ml vs 0.63±0.18ng/ml; p<0.001). Whereas, there were no any difference between patients without weight loss and control subjects (0.63±0.18ng/ml vs 0.75±0.23ng/ml; p:0.129) or between SCLC and NSCLC patients (0.53±0.18ng/ml vs 0.52±0.20ng/ml; p:0.458). No significant correlation was found between serum nesfatin-1 values and BMI. In conclusion, loss of fat mass may decrease serum nesfatin-1 level in lung cancer patients with weight loss. The future studies which explore biological significance of low serum nesfatin-1 level in cancer are needed.