Leptin and ferritin as indicators of breast cancer’s severity in overweight-postmenopausal women

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer–obesity association is a significant hazard that affects postmenopausal women in a special concern. The microenvironment created by adipose tissue appears to be the basis for the relation between obesity and breast cancer, and raised values of leptin and ferritin may be the risk for tumor development. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate whether elevated levels of leptin and ferritin are correlated to a more severe form of postmenopausal breast cancer. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 240 postmenopausal women diagnosed with breast cancer at Babylon Oncology Treatment Center in Merjan Medical City in Al-Hillah City, Babylon Governorate under the supervision of the Department of Medical physiology in Babylon Medical Faculty. The study extended from the start of September 2022 to the end of March 2023. The patients were divided into two groups according to the score of their body mass indexes (BMIs). The first group of patients (n = 138) included those with BMI > 30 kg/m2, whereas the second group (n = 102) included those with BMI < 30 kg/m2. The diagnosis of breast cancer and its pathologic subtypes were determined based on the results of tissue biopsy samples. Serum leptin and ferritin values were addressed using special biochemical kits. Results: Values of leptin and ferritin were higher in the first group of patients in comparison to the second group and statistically significant differences were present between the two groups regarding those parameters (P = 0.001 for leptin and 0.0001 for ferritin). Conclusion: Elevated values of leptin and ferritin are correlated to a more severe form of breast cancer in postmenopausal women having elevated levels of BMIs.