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Obesity Protects Cancer from Drugs Targeting Blood Vessels

Yihai Cao1

  • 1Department of Microbiology, Tumor, and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.

Cell Metabolism
|June 7, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Obesity promotes resistance to anti-angiogenic cancer drugs like anti-VEGF therapies. Understanding this link in breast cancer offers new strategies to improve treatment effectiveness for obese patients.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Cancer Biology
  • Metabolic Syndrome

Background:

  • Anti-angiogenic drugs targeting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are standard cancer treatments.
  • Clinical efficacy of these drugs is often limited by the development of resistance.
  • The influence of patient metabolic status on drug response is an emerging area of research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the mechanistic role of obesity in the development of resistance to anti-VEGF therapy.
  • To explore potential therapeutic strategies to overcome obesity-induced drug resistance in breast cancer.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized human patient data and preclinical murine models of breast cancer.
  • Analyzed molecular and cellular mechanisms linking obesity to anti-VEGF drug response.
  • Assessed the impact of obesity on tumor angiogenesis and drug efficacy.

Main Results:

  • Obesity was identified as a significant factor contributing to acquired resistance to anti-VEGF therapy.
  • Specific metabolic pathways associated with obesity were found to drive pro-angiogenic signaling, counteracting drug effects.
  • Obese models exhibited reduced sensitivity to anti-VEGF agents compared to non-obese counterparts.

Conclusions:

  • Obesity impairs the effectiveness of anti-VEGF cancer drugs by promoting therapeutic resistance.
  • Targeting obesity-related metabolic alterations may represent a viable strategy to enhance anti-angiogenic therapy outcomes.

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