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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Mechanism of Regulation of Adipocyte Numbers in Adult Organisms Through Differentiation and Apoptosis Homeostasis

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Published on: June 3, 2016

Obesity, Diabetes and Cancer: A Mechanistic Perspective.

V Cifarelli¹, S D Hursting²

¹Department of Medicine, Center for Human Nutrition, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.

International Journal of Diabetology & Vascular Disease Research

|April 4, 2017

Summary

Obesity and Type 2 diabetes increase cancer risk by promoting inflammation and altering growth factor signaling. Understanding these links may lead to new cancer prevention strategies using existing diabetes medications.

Keywords:

Cancer Diabetes Metformin Obesity

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Development and Validation of a Methodology for Establishing Obese Rat Models with Typical Fatty Pancreas

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Area of Science:

Oncology
Endocrinology
Metabolic Syndrome

Background:

Obesity affects 35% of US adults and 20% of children, defined by BMI ≥ 30 kg/m².
Obesity is a significant risk factor for various cancers, often co-occurring with Type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome.
The obese and diabetic states create a pro-inflammatory microenvironment fostering crosstalk between immune, fat, and epithelial cells, thereby increasing cancer risk and progression.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the biological mechanisms linking obesity, diabetes, and cancer.
To emphasize the roles of growth factor signaling, inflammation, and vascular integrity in this association.
To identify potential therapeutic targets for cancer chemoprevention.

Main Methods:

Literature review synthesizing evidence on obesity-diabetes-cancer links.
Focus on key biological pathways.
Examination of potential drug repurposing for cancer prevention.

Main Results:

Obesity and diabetes promote cancer through enhanced growth factor signaling, inflammation, and altered vascular integrity.
Intercellular crosstalk in metabolic disease states contributes to cancer development.
Metformin and rosiglitazone are being investigated for cancer chemopreventive potential.

Conclusions:

The interplay between obesity, diabetes, and cancer involves critical biological pathways.
Targeting these pathways offers opportunities for cancer prevention.
Repurposing diabetes medications shows promise as a novel cancer chemoprevention strategy.