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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol 2020; 41(03): 328-334
DOI: 10.4103/ijmpo.ijmpo_117_20
Review Article

Obesity-related Cancers: The Coming Epidemic

Ajit Venniyoor
National Oncology Centre, The Royal Hospital, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman
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Abstract

The world is in the grip of an obesity pandemic, with tripling of obesity rates since 1975; it is predicted that one-third of people on Earth will be obese by 2025. The health consequences of obesity are primarily thought to be related to cardiometabolic disorders such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. It is less well appreciated that obesity has been related to at least 13 different cancers and in future, (with increasing control over tobacco misuse and infections), obesity will be the main cause of cancers. While this is an area of active research, there are large gaps in the definition of what is an obesity related cancer (JRC) and more importantly, what are the underlying mechanisms. To an extent, this is due to the controversy on what constitutes “unhealthy obesity” which is further related to the causes of obesity. This narrative review examines the causes and measurement of obesity, the types of obesity-related cancers and possible mechanisms. The information has wide implications ranging from prevention, screening, prognosis and therapeutic strategies. Obesity related cancers should be an area of high-priority research. Oncologists can contribute by spreading awareness and instituting management measures for individual patients in their care.

Keywords

Carbohydrate-insulin model - gut microbiome - hyperinsulinemia - obesity - obesity-related cancers - sarcopenic obesity


Publication History

Received: 31 March 2020

Accepted: 26 May 2020

Article published online:
28 June 2021

© 2020. Indian Society of Medical and Paediatric Oncology. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.)

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