Table 1. Major regulators of hepcidin in different cancers.
| Type of cancer | Cancer tissue expression of hepcidin regulators | Serum levels of hepcidin regulators in cancer | Factors that regulate hepcidin expression in cancer | Local tumor hepcidin expression | Systemic (liver) hepcidin expression | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breast cancer | BMP7 ↑, BMP6 ↓, MT2 ↓ | IL-6 ↑ | BMP6a, IL-6a | ↑ | ↑ | 31, 32, 34, 36, 37, 59 |
| Lung cancer | BMP2 ↑, BMP7 ↑ | BMP2 ↑ | BMP2a | ↑ | ↑ | 25, 27, 28, 30 |
| Prostate cancer | BMP4/6/7 ↑, IL-6 ↑ | IL-6 ↑ | BMP4/7b, IL-6b, IL-6a | ↑ | ↑ | 19, 20, 21, 60 |
| Multiple myeloma | ? | BMP2 ↑, IL-6 ↑ | BMP2a, IL-6a | ↓ | ↑ | 38, 40 |
| Non-Hodgkin lymphoma | BMP6 ↑ | IL-6 ↑ | IL-6a | ↑ | ↑ | 41, 43 |
| Liver carcinoma | BMP6 ↓, HJV ↓, IL-6 ↑ | IL-6 ↑ | BMP6c, HJVc | ↓ | ↓ | 83, 84, 85, 86 |
| Acute leukemia | IL-6 ↑ | IL-6 ↑ | IL-6a | ? | ↑ | 65, 67 |
Abbreviations: BMP, bone morphogenetic protein; HJV, hemojuvelin, IL-6, interleukin-6; MT2, matriptase 2.
a
Regulators of liver hepcidin expression.
b
Regulators of local hepcidin expression.
c
BMP6 and HJV are major regulators of liver hepcidin expression, but studies have yet to directly prove that their downregulation in hepatocellular carcinoma is the reason behind low levels of hepcidin observed in this cancer.