Increases in the Appetite Hormone Leptin Linked to Colorectal Cancer

Furthermore, leptin counteracted the cytotoxic effects of 5-fluorouracil, a common colon cancer therapeutic agent.

"Since targeting cancer stem cells may be a translationally relevant strategy to improve clinical outcomes, interfering with leptin signaling by targeting leptin receptors might become a novel attractive option for colorectal cancer treatment, particularly in obese patients,” said senior author Dr. Eva Surmacz, associate professor of biology at Temple University.

"It is important to consider that cancer stem cells have been identified in several human malignancies,” said Dr. Monica Bartucci, a senior researcher at the Istituto Superiore di Sanità. "Understanding how cancer stem cells interact with a tumor environment, including hormones like leptin, is likely to have significant implications for treatment management of different cancer types in human patients. We hope, in collaboration with Dr. Surmacz, not only to test the effects of leptin antagonist compounds on colon cancer stem cells but also to study the results of leptin stimulation on cancer stem cells isolated in other cancer tissues.”

Related Links:
Temple University
Istituto Superiore di Sanità