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

  • Isabela Sallati , Julia Abend Bardagi , José Alexandre Mendonça and Giovanna R. Degasperi ORCID logo EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: April 29, 2025
Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism
From the journal Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism Volume 38 Issue 8

Abstract

Introduction

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.

Content

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.

Summary

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.

Outlook

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.

Keywords: childhood leukemia; childhood obesity; adipose tissue; body mass index; outcomes
Corresponding author: Giovanna R. Degasperi, School of Life Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil; and Postgraduate Program in Health Sciences – Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas, Av. John Boyd Dunlop – Jardim Ipaussurama, Campinas, SP, 13034-685, Brazil, E-mail:
Isabela Sallati and Julia Abend Bardagi contributed equally to this work.

  1. Research ethics: Not applicable.

  2. Informed consent: Not applicable.

  3. Author contributions: G.D. was responsible for conception and design. J.A.M. was responsible for including the risk of bias. I.S. and J.A.B. performed the data collection and organization of tables and references. The analysis was conducted by G.D., I.S., and J.A.B. Professors G.D. and J.A.B. were responsible for advising in case of disagreement between the other authors during the article selection and data extraction. All authors contributed to the final review of the manuscript.

  4. Use of Large Language Models, AI and Machine Learning Tools: None declared.

  5. Conflict of interest: The authors state no conflict of interest.

  6. Research funding: None declared.

  7. Data availability: Not applicable.

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Received: 2024-09-17
Accepted: 2025-03-23
Published Online: 2025-04-29
Published in Print: 2025-08-26

© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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  2. Editorial
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  4. Reviews
  5. Pubertal induction therapy in pediatric patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy
  6. Evaluating obesity and fat cells as possible important metabolic players in childhood leukemia
  7. Biological effects of recombinant human growth hormone therapy on metabolism in children with growth hormone deficiency: a review
  8. Original Articles
  9. The use of bisphosphonate and testosterone in young people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy: an international clinician survey
  10. Characterizing the metabolome of children with growth hormone deficiency
  11. Is L-dopa test effective in detecting adrenal insufficiency with preliminary diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency in children with short stature?
  12. Comparison of the clinical characteristics of children with Silver–Russell syndrome genetically confirmed or not and their response to growth hormone therapy: a national multicenter study
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  15. Case Reports
  16. Delayed diagnosis of retroperitoneal paraganglioma in an 8-year-old boy with persistent hypertension: a case report and review of diagnostic challenges in pediatric secondary hypertension
  17. Pediatric iatrogenic Cushing’s syndrome: a series of seven cases induced by topical corticosteroid use
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https://doi.org/10.1515/jpem-2024-0448
Keywords for this article
childhood leukemia; childhood obesity; adipose tissue; body mass index; outcomes

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Editorial
  3. Endocrine treatment in Duchenne muscular dystrophy – current practices and future directions
  4. Reviews
  5. Pubertal induction therapy in pediatric patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy
  6. Evaluating obesity and fat cells as possible important metabolic players in childhood leukemia
  7. Biological effects of recombinant human growth hormone therapy on metabolism in children with growth hormone deficiency: a review
  8. Original Articles
  9. The use of bisphosphonate and testosterone in young people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy: an international clinician survey
  10. Characterizing the metabolome of children with growth hormone deficiency
  11. Is L-dopa test effective in detecting adrenal insufficiency with preliminary diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency in children with short stature?
  12. Comparison of the clinical characteristics of children with Silver–Russell syndrome genetically confirmed or not and their response to growth hormone therapy: a national multicenter study
  13. Testicular adrenal rest tumors in Indonesian boys with congenital adrenal hyperplasia
  14. Oxidative stress in branched-chain organic acidemias using thiol-disulfide homeostasis
  15. Case Reports
  16. Delayed diagnosis of retroperitoneal paraganglioma in an 8-year-old boy with persistent hypertension: a case report and review of diagnostic challenges in pediatric secondary hypertension
  17. Pediatric iatrogenic Cushing’s syndrome: a series of seven cases induced by topical corticosteroid use
  18. Wolcott–Rallison syndrome: late-onset diabetes, multiple epiphyseal dysplasia, and acute liver failure – a case report
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