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Cancers
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Obesity and Cancers
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Obesity and Cancers

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2025 | Viewed by 6704

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Edward Sauter

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
Interests: cancer prevention; obesity-related cancer; lifestyle approaches to prevent cancer
Dr. Tanya Agurs-Collins

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Health Behaviors Research Branch, Behavioral Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
Interests: obesity and cancer risk and control; lifestyle factors; diet and weight loss interventions; obesity and cancer disparities

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to highlight the impact of obesity on cancer risk and control. Submissions should explore the biological, social, behavioral and environmental factors that impact obesity-related cancers. We welcome interventional studies and reviews related to strategies for obesity prevention and control, such as surgery, medications, lifestyle behavioral changes (diet and  physical activity to reduce obesity and subsequently cancer risk,  progression, and improve cancer survival). Studies focused on omics technologies that examine genetics, metabolomics, and the microbiome related to obesity and cancer are also encouraged.

Topics of interest include:

1. Which cancers are impacted by obesity?

2. What biological, social, behavioral and environmental factors drive obesity?

3. What are the mechanisms by which obesity aggravates (or ameliorates) cancer development and/or progression?

4. How does obesity impact cancer care, including cancer screening and treatment?

5. Role of genetics in obesity and cancer.

6. Impact of the gut microbiome on obesity and cancer.

7. Impact of race and gender on obesity and cancer.

8. Impact of weight loss interventions (bariatric surgery, weight loss medications, lifestyle changes, physical activity) on cancer risk and progression.

9. How do social determinants of health influence obesity-related cancer risk and poor outcomes?

10. What is the role of body composition (i.e., visceral fat) on cancer risk and treatment?

11. Which systemic and structural factors influence obesity-related cancer risk and health disparities?

Dr. Edward Sauter
Dr. Tanya Agurs-Collins
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • obesity
  • cancer
  • mitigating factors
  • weight loss
  • weight gain
  • obesity interventions

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review, Other

10 pages, 1838 KiB  
Article
Examination of Sarcopenia with Obesity as a Prognostic Factor in Patients with Colorectal Cancer Using the Psoas Muscle Mass Index
by Kengo Haruna, Soichiro Minami, Norikatsu Miyoshi, Shiki Fujino, Rie Mizumoto, Yuki Toyoda, Rie Hayashi, Shinya Kato, Mitsunobu Takeda, Yuki Sekido, Tsuyoshi Hata, Atsushi Hamabe, Takayuki Ogino, Hidekazu Takahashi, Mamoru Uemura, Hirofumi Yamamoto, Yuichiro Doki and Hidetoshi Eguchi
Cancers 2024, 16(19), 3429; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16193429 - 9 Oct 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1590
Abstract
Background: Sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass, is a negative prognostic factor in gastrointestinal cancer. Sarcopenia combined with visceral obesity (sarcopenic obesity) is associated with poor outcomes. We explored the influence of obesity and other factors on the prognosis of patients [...] Read more.
Background: Sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass, is a negative prognostic factor in gastrointestinal cancer. Sarcopenia combined with visceral obesity (sarcopenic obesity) is associated with poor outcomes. We explored the influence of obesity and other factors on the prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer diagnosed with sarcopenia. Methods: We enrolled 211 patients with colorectal cancer diagnosed with preoperative sarcopenic obesity who underwent radical resection at Osaka University Hospital between January 2009 and January 2012. Muscle mass was assessed using the psoas muscle mass index. Obesity was evaluated by measuring the visceral fat area in the umbilical region. Patients were categorized into two groups: sarcopenia with obesity (SO) and sarcopenia without obesity (non-SO). Overall survival, cancer-specific survival, and cancer-related relapse-free survival (CRRFS) were compared between the two groups. Patient characteristics, including age, sex, body mass index, serum albumin, C-reactive protein, tumor markers, prognostic nutritional index (PNI), modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS), and geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI), were also analyzed. Results: CRRFS was significantly shorter in the SO group than in the non-SO group (p = 0.028). PNI, mGPS, and GNRI were not identified as significant prognostic factors for CRRFS. Multivariate analysis highlighted sarcopenic obesity, elevated carcinoembryonic antigen levels, and unfavorable histological types as significant predictors of poor CRRFS outcomes. Conclusions: Sarcopenic obesity is an independent predictor of poor prognosis in patients with CRC. Thus, interventions aimed at increasing muscle mass and reducing visceral fat could potentially improve the prognosis of these patients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Obesity and Cancers)
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13 pages, 1640 KiB  
Article
Investigating the Obesity Paradox in Colorectal Cancer: An Analysis of Prospectively Collected Data in a Diverse Cohort
by Shria Kumar, Catherine Blandon, Alla Sikorskii, David E. Kaplan, Shivan J. Mehta, Grace L. Su, David S. Goldberg and Tracy E. Crane
Cancers 2024, 16(17), 2950; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16172950 - 24 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1846
Abstract
Background: Prior studies are inconclusive regarding the effect of obesity on mortality in persons with colorectal cancer (CRC). We sought to determine the association of pre-diagnosis body mass index (BMI) trajectories on mortality after CRC diagnosis. Methods: Utilizing the Multiethnic Cohort, we included [...] Read more.
Background: Prior studies are inconclusive regarding the effect of obesity on mortality in persons with colorectal cancer (CRC). We sought to determine the association of pre-diagnosis body mass index (BMI) trajectories on mortality after CRC diagnosis. Methods: Utilizing the Multiethnic Cohort, we included adults aged 18–75 between 1 January 1993 and 1 January 2019 with a diagnosis of CRC and at least three available BMIs. The primary exposure, BMI, was subjected to group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM). We evaluated all-cause and CRC-specific mortality, using Cox proportional hazard (PH) models. Results: Of 924 persons, the median age was 60 years, and 54% were female. There was no statistically significant association between pre-cancer BMI trajectory and either all-cause or cancer-specific mortality. In competing risk analysis, the risk of CRC-specific mortality was higher for African Americans (HR = 1.56, 95% CI [1.00–2.43], p = 0.048) and smokers (HR = 1.59, 95% CI [1.10–2.32], p = 0.015). Risk of all-cause mortality was higher for Hawaiian persons (HR = 2.85, 95% CI [1.31–6.21], p = 0.009) and persons with diabetes (HR = 1.83, 95% CI [1.08–3.10], p = 0.026). Conclusions: Pre-diagnosis BMI trajectories were not associated with mortality after CRC diagnosis, whereas race/ethnicity, diabetes, and smoking were associated with an increased risk of death. Our findings suggest the obesity paradox alone does not account for mortality after CRC diagnosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Obesity and Cancers)
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Review

Jump to: Research, Other

11 pages, 226 KiB  
Review
Mechanisms by Which Pharmacotherapy May Impact Cancer Risk among Individuals with Overweight and Obesity
by Edward R. Sauter and Tanya Agurs-Collins
Cancers 2024, 16(19), 3275; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16193275 - 26 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1220
Abstract
Diets geared to reduce cancer risk in overweight and obese individuals focus on (1) caloric restriction (every day, some days, or most hours of each day); (2) changes in macronutrient intake; or (3) a combination of the prior two strategies. Diets generally fail [...] Read more.
Diets geared to reduce cancer risk in overweight and obese individuals focus on (1) caloric restriction (every day, some days, or most hours of each day); (2) changes in macronutrient intake; or (3) a combination of the prior two strategies. Diets generally fail because of nonadherence or due to limited sustained weight loss. This is in contrast to a diet supplemented with a weight loss medication, so long as the participant continues the medication or after bariatric surgery, in which adherence tends to be much higher. Among individuals who regain weight after surgery, weight loss medications are proving beneficial in maintaining weight loss. Both maximum and sustained weight loss are essential for all forms of effective metabolic improvement, including cancer risk reduction. The focus of this report is to assess the state of research on the consequence of pharmacotherapy use on weight loss and proposed weight loss-independent effects on subsequent cancer risk reduction, including the potential role of medication use in conjunction with metabolic (bariatric) surgery (MBS). Finally, we present Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to better understand the mechanism(s) that are driving the efficacy of pharmacotherapy in cancer risk reduction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Obesity and Cancers)

Other

Jump to: Research, Review

31 pages, 6491 KiB  
Systematic Review
Obesity, Physical Activity, and Cancer Incidence in Two Geographically Distinct Populations; The Gulf Cooperation Council Countries and the United Kingdom—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
by Christine Gaskell, Stuart Lutimba, Ghizlane Bendriss and Eiman Aleem
Cancers 2024, 16(24), 4205; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16244205 - 17 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1147
Abstract
Background: The relationship between obesity, physical activity, and cancer has not been well studied across different countries. The age-standardized rate of cancer in the UK is double–triple that in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (GCCCs). Here, we study the association between obesity, physical [...] Read more.
Background: The relationship between obesity, physical activity, and cancer has not been well studied across different countries. The age-standardized rate of cancer in the UK is double–triple that in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (GCCCs). Here, we study the association between obesity, physical activity, and cancer incidence with the aim to elucidate cancer epidemiology and risk factors in two geographically, ethnically, and climatically different parts of the world. Methods: Our systematic search (from 2016 to 2023) in PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and APA PsycINFO databases resulted in 64 studies totaling 13,609,578 participants. The Cochrane risk of bias tool, GRADE, R programming language, and the meta package were used. Results: Significant associations between obesity and cancer were found in both regions, with a stronger association in the UK (p ≤ 0.0001) than the GCCCs (p = 0.0042). While physical inactivity alone did not show a statistically significant association with cancer incidence, the pooled hazard ratio analysis revealed that the presence of both obesity and physical inactivity was associated with a significantly higher cancer incidence. The most common types of cancer were breast cancer in the UK and colorectal cancer across the GCCCs. Conclusion: Although both regions share similarities, advanced healthcare systems, genetic characteristics, dietary habits, and cultural practices may influence cancer incidence and types. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Obesity and Cancers)
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