Evaluating obesity and fat cells as possible important metabolic players in childhood leukemia

The prevalence of overweight and obesity in childhood is a health challenge. This condition induces alterations in adipose tissue and metabolic disorders such as diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypertension even in childhood and may also be associated with cancer development. Underlying mechanisms related to childhood cancer, such as leukemia and obesity, are not entirely understood.

Considering this scenario, a systematic literature review was performed on the PubMed library. Studies that evaluate the association between overweight or obesity at diagnosis of childhood leukemia and the outcomes associated with this condition were included.

In some studies, a worse prognosis was observed in obese children compared to non-obese, which begs the question of how the adipose tissue environment may be involved with leukemia progression and its outcomes such as relapse, overall and event-free survival and infections.

Obesity in children diagnosed with leukemia may be associated with poor outcomes during disease progression as reported in some studies. The remodeling and composition of adipose tissue, alterations in adipocytokines secretion, such as leptin, and inflammation that may trigger awakened oncogenes seem to be important players in cancer development and outcomes during treatment. Understanding if there is any relationship between adipose tissue and the development of childhood leukemia and its prognosis, as well as the biological mechanisms of this scenario, is important to contribute to improving the treatment protocols and survival, especially in obese children.