From U Vermont: The role of chronic inflammation in obesity-associated cancers

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23819063

ISRN Oncol. 2013 May 30;2013:697521. doi: 10.1155/2013/697521. Print 2013.

The role of chronic inflammation in obesity-associated cancers.

Ramos-Nino ME.

Source

Department of Pathology and Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA.

Abstract

There is a strong relationship between metabolism and immunity, which can become deleterious under conditions of metabolic stress. Obesity, considered a chronic inflammatory disease, is one example of this link. Chronic inflammation is increasingly being recognized as an etiology in several cancers, particularly those of epithelial origin, and therefore a potential link between obesity and cancer. In this review, the connection between the different factors that can lead to the chronic inflammatory state in the obese individual, as well as their effect in tumorigenesis, is addressed. Furthermore, the association between obesity, inflammation, and esophageal, liver, colon, postmenopausal breast, and endometrial cancers is discussed.