Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2015 Dec;22(6):R365-86.
doi: 10.1530/ERC-15-0400. Epub 2015 Sep 15.

Obesity and cancer: mechanistic insights from transdisciplinary studies

Affiliations
Review

Obesity and cancer: mechanistic insights from transdisciplinary studies

Emma H Allott et al. Endocr Relat Cancer. 2015 Dec.

Abstract

Obesity is associated with a range of health outcomes that are of clinical and public health significance, including cancer. Herein, we summarize epidemiologic and preclinical evidence for an association between obesity and increased risk of breast and prostate cancer incidence and mortality. Moreover, we describe data from observational studies of weight change in humans and from calorie-restriction studies in mouse models that support a potential role for weight loss in counteracting tumor-promoting properties of obesity in breast and prostate cancers. Given that weight loss is challenging to achieve and maintain, we also consider evidence linking treatments for obesity-associated co-morbidities, including metformin, statins and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, with reduced breast and prostate cancer incidence and mortality. Finally, we highlight several challenges that should be considered when conducting epidemiologic and preclinical research in the area of obesity and cancer, including the measurement of obesity in population-based studies, the timing of obesity and weight change in relation to tumor latency and cancer diagnosis, and the heterogeneous nature of obesity and its associated co-morbidities. Given that obesity is a complex trait, comprised of behavioral, epidemiologic and molecular/metabolic factors, we argue that a transdisciplinary approach is the key to understanding the mechanisms linking obesity and cancer. As such, this review highlights the critical need to integrate evidence from both epidemiologic and preclinical studies to gain insight into both biologic and non-biologic mechanisms contributing to the obesity-cancer link.

Keywords: NSAIDs; aspirin; breast cancer; cholesterol; epidemiology; insulin; mechanisms; metformin; mouse models; obesity; prostate cancer; screening; statins; transdisciplinary; weight loss.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of this review.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Using a transdisciplinary approach to study mechanisms linking obesity and cancer.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Non-biologic mechanisms linking obesity and cancer mortality.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Putative mechanisms linking obesity with cancer risk and progression: lessons from studies of chemopreventive agents
Figure 4
Figure 4
Computed tomography (CT) scans of two individuals with similar waist circumference (WC) but different amounts of visceral and subcutaneous fat area, illustrating the potential for misclassification when using WC as a surrogate of visceral obesity.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Challenges associated with studying obesity: defining the exposure, and potential confounders.

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Adams TD, Stroup AM, Gress RE, Adams KF, Calle EE, Smith SC, Halverson RC, Simper SC, Hopkins PN, Hunt SC. Cancer incidence and mortality after gastric bypass surgery. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2009;17:796–802. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ahern TP, Pedersen L, Tarp M, Cronin-Fenton DP, Garne JP, Silliman RA, Sorensen HT, Lash TL. Statin prescriptions and breast cancer recurrence risk: a Danish nationwide prospective cohort study. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2011;103:1461–1468. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Akinyeke T, Matsumura S, Wang X, Wu Y, Schalfer ED, Saxena A, Yan W, Logan SK, Li X. Metformin targets c-MYC oncogene to prevent prostate cancer. Carcinogenesis. 2013;34:2823–2832. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Allott EH, Abern MR, Gerber L, Keto CJ, Aronson WJ, Terris MK, Kane CJ, Amling CL, Cooperberg MR, Moorman PG, et al. Metformin does not affect risk of biochemical recurrence following radical prostatectomy: results from the SEARCH database. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 2013a;16:391–397. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Allott EH, Howard LE, Cooperberg MR, Kane CJ, Aronson WJ, Terris MK, Amling CL, Freedland SJ. Postoperative statin use and risk of biochemical recurrence following radical prostatectomy: Results from the SEARCH database. BJU Int. 2014a;114:661–666. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances