Metabolic syndrome and cancer: from bedside to bench and back

As older patients present with an average of three comorbidities beside their cancer, geriatric oncology can provide unique clues to translational research in aging and cancer. We illustrate this approach with the example of the metabolic syndrome and cancer. Epidemiologic and clinical cohorts highlighted an association between the metabolic syndrome and a higher risk and worse prognosis of various cancers. In a bedside-to-bench transition, this led to an interest in analyzing the potential mechanisms underlying this association. At least ten potential mechanisms could be implicated, with the challenge of understanding which are the dominant ones in human patients. Bench-to-bedside studies are beginning to shed some light on that aspect, and some therapeutic trials are beginning to exploit the lessons learned.