Obesity, a global epidemic, is an independent risk factor for the occurrence and development of a variety of
tumors, such as
breast cancer,
pancreatic cancer,
ovarian cancer and
colorectal cancer. Adipocytes are important endocrine cells in the tumor microenvironment of
obesity-related
tumors, which can secrete a variety of
adipokines (such as
leptin,
adiponectin,
estrogen,
resistin, MIF and MCP-1, etc.), among which
leptin,
adiponectin and
estrogen are the most in-depth and valuable ones. These
adipokines are closely related to
tumorigenesis and the progression of
tumors. In recent years, more and more studies have shown that under chronic inflammatory conditions such as
obesity, adipocytes secrete more
adipokines to promote the
tumorigenesis and development of
tumors. However, it is worth noting that although
adiponectin is also secreted by adipocytes, it has an anti-
tumor effect, and can cross-talk with other
adipokines (such as
leptin and
estrogen) and
insulin to play an anti-
tumor effect together. In addition,
obesity is the main cause of
insulin resistance, which can lead to the increase of the expression levels of
insulin and
insulin-like growth factor (IGF). As important regulators of
blood glucose and lipid metabolism,
insulin and IGF also play an important role in the progress of
obesity related
tumors. In view of the important role of
adipokines secreted by adipocytes and
insulin/IGF in
tumors, this article not only elaborates
leptin,
adiponectin and
estrogen secreted by adipocytes and their mechanism of action in the development of
obesity- related
tumors, but also introduces the relationship between
insulin/IGF, a regulator of lipid metabolism, and
obesity related
tumors. At the same time, it briefly describes the
cancer-promoting mechanism of
resistin, MIF and MCP-1 in
obesity-related
tumors, and finally summarizes the specific treatment opinions and measures for various
adipokines and
insulin/
insulin-like growth factors in recent years.