Association of obesity and circulating adipose stromal cells among breast cancer survivors

作者：Ghosh Sagar; Hughes Daniel; Parma Dorothy Long; Ramirez Amelie; Li Rong^*

来源：Molecular Biology Reports, 2014, 41(5): 2907-2916.

DOI：10.1007/s11033-014-3146-1

• Circulating adipose stromal cells (ASC)
• Obesity
• Breast cancer
• Exercise

A positive association of obesity with breast cancer incidence and mortality is well established. Recent reports indicate that adipose stromal cells (ASCs) play an important role in breast cancer development and progression by producing estrogens and tumor-promoting cytokines. Furthermore, circulating ASCs have been uniquely detected in obese individuals, which is likely due to increased tissue remodeling and cell mobilization. The number of circulating ASCs is even more prominent in obese patients with colon and prostate cancers, both of which are exacerbated by obesity. To determine whether a similar association exists for breast cancer, we collected blood samples from a cohort of breast cancer survivors and enumerated circulating ASCs by flow cytometry on the basis of the previously established ASC-associated immunophenotype (CD34(+)/CD31(-)/CD45(-)). We found significantly higher levels of circulating ASCs (p %26lt; 0.001) in breast cancer survivors with body mass index (BMI) a parts per thousand yen30 kg/m(2) than their non-obese counterparts (BMI %26lt; 30). We also compared circulating ASCs before and after exercise of only the obese subjects enrolled in a 6-month individualized exercise program, but found no statistically significant difference, likely due to limited number of subjects in the study. Our findings suggest that circulating ASCs can serve as a potential biomarker for future studies of the impacts of obesity and physical activity on breast cancer recurrence and survival.

• 出版日期2014-5