Cancer as a Matter of Fat: The Crosstalk between Adipose Tissue and Tumors

Abstract

Obesity has been linked to the increased risk and aggressiveness of many types of carcinoma. A state of chronic inflammation in adipose tissue (AT), resulting in genotoxic stress, may contribute to carcinogenesis and cancer initiation. Evidence that AT plays a role in cancer aggressiveness is solid and mounting. During cancer progression, tumor cells engage in a metabolic symbiosis with adjacent AT. Mature adipocytes provide adipokines and lipids to cancer cells, while stromal and immune cells from AT infiltrate carcinomas and locally secrete paracrine factors within the tumor microenvironment. This review focuses on the crosstalk between AT and tumor cells that promotes tumor growth and increases cellular lipid metabolism, metastasis, and chemoresistance.