Effects of Obesity on Cancer Progression by Affecting the Immune System

Marjan Moallemian  Isfahani; Fereshteh  Khozeimeh; Azita  Hekmatdoost

doi:10.18502/igj.v7i4.17885

Marjan Moallemian Isfahani Liver and Pancreatobiliary Diseases Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Fereshteh Khozeimeh National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Azita Hekmatdoost Department of Clinical Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/igj.v7i4.17885

Keywords: Obesity; Cancer Progression; Inflammation; Adipokines; Cytokines; Insulin

Abstract

The prevalence of obesity has been increasing in the last few decades, and it is regarded as one of the major healthproblems in the world. The rising prevalence of obesity in children and adults is a result of eating disordersand the changes related to the modern lifestyle. Obesity alters the adipocytes’ substance secretion, whichaffects the function of the immune system and leads to obesity-induced inflammation and the developmentof obesity-related cancers. Altered chemokines, adipokines, and conditions like insulin resistance are mostlikely related to the impaired immune system in the obesity state. The impaired secretion of adipokines,such as increased leptin and reduction in adiponectin, affects innate immune system antitumor responsesafter long-term exposure. In addition, changes in chemokines and, consequently, the promotion of insulinresistance create an immunosuppressive environment that debilitates the host to fight against tumor growth,progression, and metastasis. Accordingly, it may increase cancer susceptibility in obese individuals. Thereby,it can be concluded that treatment of obesity will greatly affect the improvement of immune system functionand, as a result, may possibly reduce the risk of cancer. The aim of this study is to review the pathwaysresulting in impaired immune system and inflammation and their link to cancer progression in obesity.Several hypotheses have been proposed to have a critical contribution to the development of obesity-relatedcancers, such as the function of cytokines, insulin resistance, and NF-κB and senescence changes in obesity.These hypotheses will be discussed later in this article.