Excessive body mass is a factor predisposing to the occurrence of many diseases. In people with a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m², a greater amount of adipose tissue, which is an endocrine organ, is found. Adipokines influence lipid and carbohydrate homeostasis. So far, little is known about the effects of increased BMI on parameters related to carbohydrate metabolism and adipokine levels in patients with lip, oral cavity and pharyngeal cancer (LOCP). The aim of the study was to assess the level of adipsin, adiponectin, glucagon and insulin in LOCP cancer patients.
The study group consisted of 40 LOCP patients divided to two groups according to their BMI: 20 subjects with BMI = 21.46 ± 0.48 kg/m² (8 females and 12 males, mean age 64.45 ± 1.74 yrs) and 20 subjects with BMI = 29.43 ± 0.87 kg/m² (6 females and 14 males, mean age 64.94 ± 2.39 yrs). Blood serum samples were used to perform analysis. P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.
A significantly higher concentration of adiponectin was observed in the LOCP patients with normal BMI. In the group of patients with increased BMI, higher level of insulin was observed. There were no statistically significant differences in the concentration of adipsin and glucagon.
The obtained results show a significant impact of increased BMI on carbohydrate metabolism and the level of selected adipokines in patients with LOCP cancer. Although obesity is not the main predisposing factor for this group of neoplasms, it may influence the course of the disease.