Obesity and cancer

Abstract

Obesity and malignancies ie. cancer are two multifactorial diseases with progressively increasing epidemic prevalence over the last few decades. Cancer is expected to possibly overcome cardiovascular disease as the leading cause of death in the future, with prevalence increasing by nearly 50% over the next 15 years. Numerous experimental and epidemiological studies have established a close relationship between these two diseases, but the true nature of this relationship has remained insufficiently elucidated. It is known that obesity is the main risk factor for the occurrence of several types of cancer, and that it is associated with a worse therapeutic outcome and increased mortality in malignant diseases. Observational studies have shown that weight reduction in humans as well as caloric restriction in experimental animals reduces the promoting effect of obesity on the onset and development of several types of cancer, primarily breast and prostate cancer. Numerous data show that the metabolic milieu, which exists in obese people, is ideal for the emergence and development of cancer. Obesity is characterized by insulin resistance, aberrant glucose metabolism, chronic inflammation, and increased production of other metabolic hormones such as: IGF-1, leptin, and adiponectin, which together can participate in the modulation of cancer risk. Regardless of the fact that some parts of the connection between obesity and cancer have been partially clarified, it remains for future investigations to enable the assembly of the entire mosaic of oncogenesis in obesity.

Keywords

• obesity
• cancer
• insulin receptor