Mechanisms Linking Obesity And Leukemia Prognosis

Obesity increases the risk of developing all four common subtypes of leukemia. In addition, children and adults who are obese when they are diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), have a higher risk of relapse. While a number of potential mechanisms linking obesity and cancer have been postulated, none can convincingly explain the links between obesity and leukemia incidence or relapse. In the present chapter, we review the evidence that obesity increases leukemia relapse, and explore some mechanisms that might contribute to this observation.