Serum adiponectin in breast cancer: A meta-analysis

• Published in: Medicine (Baltimore) Vol. 97; no. 29; p. e11433
• Main Authors: Gu, Li, Cao, Chang, Fu, Jing, Li, Qian, Li, De-Hua, Chen, Ming-Yao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved 01.07.2018; Wolters Kluwer Health
• Subjects: Adiponectin - blood; Biomarkers - blood; Breast Neoplasms - blood; Female; Humans; Risk Factors; Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
• ISSN: 0025-7974; 1536-5964; 1536-5964
• DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000011433

Accumulating data have found that adiponectin is involved in development of breast cancer (BC). However, these results were inconsistent. A systematic search in PubMed, Embase, ISI Web of Science, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were conducted up to October 1, 2017. The standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval was applied to pool the effect size. Finally, 31 eligible studies were included in this meta-analysis. The overall results indicated that serum adiponectin levels in BC cases were significantly lower than the controls (SMD = -0.33, P < 0.0001). As for the subgroup analysis of menstrual status, serum adiponectin levels were significantly lower in pre- and postmenopausal BC cases. Moreover, the subgroup analysis by ethnicity in pre- and postmenopausal group indicated an inverse association between adiponectin levels and BC risk in Asian population, but not in Caucasian population. The present meta-analysis suggests that low serum adiponectin concentration may be associated with an increased BC risk in premenopausal and postmenopausal women, especially among Asians. Adiponectin may serve as a biomarker of BC risk and help to identify subjects at high risk for BC development.