Apolipoproteins—New Biomarkers of Overweight and Obesity among Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Survivors?

Abstract

Patients suffering from childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are at risk of late adverse treatment-related effects. The examination of targeted biomarkers could be used to improve the diagnosis and prediction of life-threatening ALL sequelae. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to search for treatment-related alterations in apolipoprotein (Apo) levels as potential markers of the occurrence of obesity in subjects treated for ALL, and to assess the relationships between weight, gender, anticancer treatment, and Apo concentrations. Fifty-eight ALL survivors were included in the study. The mean time of follow-up after treatment cessation was 5.41 ± 4.29 years. Serum levels of apolipoproteins were measured using a multiplex assay kit. Among ALL survivors, we observed a significant correlation of Apo-C1, Apo-C3, Apo-H, and Apo-J levels, depending on body mass index (BMI). Marked differences were observed in the area under the curve of Apo-A1, Apo-A2, Apo-C1, Apo-D. In our study, patients with a history of childhood ALL developed alterations in their Apo profile. Furthermore, this is the first study revealing that some apolipoproteins may act as valuable biomarkers useful in the prognosis of metabolic imbalance. We believe that this paper, at least partially, will highlight the importance of long-term prognosis of metabolic complications associated with the anticancer chemotherapy used to treat hematological malignancies in children.