Pathophysiological Interrelationship between Obesity, Metabolic Diseases and Cancer

Cancer development, progression, and aggressiveness are strongly influenced by the presence of metabolic alterations such as obesity and metabolic syndrome. These are chronic endocrine-metabolic diseases that represent emerging global epidemics and capital health problems for the worldwide population since they increase the risk of developing severe endocrine, cardiovascular and tumor pathologies. Obesity and metabolic syndrome promote the development of multiple defects in different cellular regulatory systems, which are associated with relevant alterations in the homeostasis of the organism. Indeed, dysregulations in hormones and growth factors, cytokines, adipokines and/or inflammatory factors often favor the development of serious pathologies such as endocrine disorders and cancer. In fact, it is estimated that 20% of cancer incidence can be attributed to obesity. In this sense, it has been reported that different drugs commonly used to treat metabolic diseases (e.g. biguanides and statins) have emerged as promising antitumor therapeutic tools in different endocrine-related tumors and cancer. However, the molecular, cellular and endocrine-metabolic mechanisms that underlie the pathophysiological association between obesity, metabolic syndrome, and cancer remain to be fully elucidated.

This Research Topic focuses on studies that investigate and discuss:

1) Epidemiologic evidence linking the presence of endocrine-metabolic diseases (obesity, metabolic syndrome, etc.) and the development and/or progression cancer.
2) The prevention and treatment of cancer pathologies investigating approaches based on the modulation of metabolic diseases.
3) The molecular and cellular determinants in the interplay between endocrine-metabolic disturbances and cancer .
4) The endocrine and/or metabolic alterations linked to the development and progression of cancer.
5) The impact of endocrine-metabolic determinants on the modulation and adaptation of cancer cell metabolism and/or microenvironment.
6) Novel approaches and/or animal models for the study of the interplay between metabolic dysregulations and cancer.
7) The potential antitumor effects that different metabolic drugs commonly used to treat endocrine-related diseases [such as biguanides (e.g. metformin), statins (e.g. simvastatin), etc.] exert in different endocrine-related tumors and cancer.

The aim of this Research Topic is to provide an overview of the pathophysiological interrelationship between obesity, metabolic diseases, and cancer. To this end, we would like to welcome submissions in the form of Reviews and/or Original Research articles presenting cutting-edge scientific advances on the potential interplay between endocrine-metabolic disorders, such as obesity and metabolic syndrome, and cancer development and progression, including novel data in relevant animal models and humans.