Effect of Obesity on Breast Cancer Development

Abstract

In recent years, obesity has been identified as a risk factor for the development of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, and it has been associated with a poor outcome. Many factors appear to be important in the mechanism of this increased risk, including estrogen, estrogen receptors, and the adipokines leptin and adiponectin. Estrogen, a potent mitogen for mammary cells, has long been implicated in the development of mammary tumors. Because adipose-associated aromatase activity increases the conversion of androgen to estrogen, mammary adipose tissue is thought to be an important source of local estrogen production. Leptin, which increases in the circulation in proportion to body fat stores, has been demonstrated in vitro to promote breast cancer cell growth. Animal models have also identified leptin as an important factor for the development of mammary tumors. In contrast to leptin, serum adiponectin concentrations are inversely related to body fat stores, and the addition of adiponectin to human breast cancer cells reduces cell proliferation and enhances apoptosis. This review explores the relationship between these factors and the development of mammary cancer in humans and mouse models.

Change in Adiponectin and Oxidative Stress after Modifiable Lifestyle Interventions in Breast Cancer Cases

“…Breast cancer is the second most diagnosed cancer worldwide with a total of 1.38 million cases (Cleary et al, 2010). The etiology of breast cancer is multifactorial.…”

GC-TOF/MS-based metabolomic profiling of estrogen deficiency-induced obesity in ovariectomized rats

“…Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent [1] that it becomes linked to several common diseases, including insulin resistance [2] , cardiovascular disease [3] , stroke [4] , and certain cancers [5][6][7][8] . Apart from the genetic, environmental, and nutritional factors involved in the occurrence of obesity, endogenous estrogens play an important role in the regulation of body weight and obesity [9,10] .…”

Increased BMI correlates with higher risk of disease relapse and differentiation syndrome in patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia treated with the AIDA protocols

“…4 As to the impact of BMI on treatment response and outcome, a number of studies have shown that obesity is associated with a poorer overall survival and disease-free survival in patients with breast cancer. 5,6 By contrast, the correlation between BMI and treatment outcome has not yet been investigated in patients with leukemia.Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), once known as the most rapidly fatal leukemia subtype, is nowadays considered the most frequently curable acute leukemia of adults. 7 Indeed, modern combined approaches with all-trans retinoic acid and anthracycline chemotherapy yield complete remission rates greater than 90% and long-term cure rates of 70% to 75%.…”