Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Obesity-Associated Cancer Development and Treatments

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

Obesity is a chronic disease characterized by the abnormal or excessive accumulation of body fat. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 1 billion people in the world are obese, including 650 million adults, 340 million adolescents, and 39 million children, which will cause about 167 million people to become ill by 2025. The prevalence of obesity is impacted by many genetic and environmental factors, such as sex, race, physical activity, diet, and socioeconomic status. Obesity is commonly associated with many other metabolic disorders, including type 2 diabetes (T2D), metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), and chronic kidney diseases (CKDs). Obesity, together with these metabolic disorders, has been identified to promote most cancer progression, including breast cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), and lung and kidney cancers. Therefore, it is essential to understand the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of obesity-associated cancers and develop new targets for cancer treatment. This Topic, entitled “Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Obesity-Associated Cancer Development and Treatments”, aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the most recent advances in this field and explore the underlying mechanisms of obesity-associated cancer development and new treatment targets.

Dr. Ming Yang
Dr. Chunye Zhang
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Cancers cancers	4.4	8.8	2009	20.3 Days	CHF 2900	Submit
Current Oncology curroncol	3.4	4.9	1994	21.5 Days	CHF 2200	Submit
Diseases diseases	3.0	3.7	2013	22.7 Days	CHF 1800	Submit
International Journal of Molecular Sciences ijms	4.9	9.0	2000	20.5 Days	CHF 2900	Submit
Cells cells	5.2	10.5	2012	16 Days	CHF 2700	Submit

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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All Cancers Current Oncology Diseases IJMS Cells

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27 pages, 2349 KiB  

Open AccessReview

The Role of Obesity in the Regulation of Immunosuppressive Cell Infiltration and Immunosurveillance in Cancers

by Chunye Zhang, Keyao Zhu, Jiazheng Liu and Ming Yang

Diseases 2025, 13(8), 271; https://doi.org/10.3390/diseases13080271 - 21 Aug 2025

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Abstract

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, causing about 10 million deaths annually. Obesity contributes to cancer progression by inducing chronic inflammation, immunosuppressive microenvironment, metabolic dysfunction, and therapeutic resistance. Accumulating evidence shows that obesity can advance the infiltration of immunosuppressive cells and [...] Read more.

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, causing about 10 million deaths annually. Obesity contributes to cancer progression by inducing chronic inflammation, immunosuppressive microenvironment, metabolic dysfunction, and therapeutic resistance. Accumulating evidence shows that obesity can advance the infiltration of immunosuppressive cells and ameliorate the function and cytotoxicity of tumor-killing cells such as natural killer cells, natural killer T cells, macrophages, and CD8 T cells in cancer patients, resulting in cancer progression. Understanding the molecular signaling pathways involved in obesity-induced immunosuppression and cancer cell proliferation enables us to screen new biomarkers for cancer early diagnosis and improve anti-tumor therapeutic efficacy in obese patients with cancer. In this review, we first review the molecular mechanisms by which obesity induces the immunosuppressive landscape in the tumor microenvironment and some key obesity-associated factors causing immunotherapeutic suppression and metabolic dysfunction. Then, the application of natural products in the treatment of obesity and obesity-associated cancers is summarized. In addition, we discuss the contradictory functions of obesity in cancer risk and treatment outcome. The potent roles of precision medicine and artificial intelligence in the management of obesity-related cancers are highlighted. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Obesity-Associated Cancer Development and Treatments)

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19 pages, 1738 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Dysregulated miRNAs Targeting Adiponectin Signaling in Colorectal Cancer

by Momchil Barbolov, Svetla Slavova, Neda Nedeva, Krasimir Ivanov, Nikola Kolev, Katarzyna Komosinska-Vassev, Diana Ivanova, Deyana Vankova and Yoana Kiselova-Kaneva

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(15), 7196; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26157196 - 25 Jul 2025

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Abstract

Dysregulation in miRNA expression has been reported in a variety of tumors, including colorectal cancer (CRC), where adiponectin regulates a number of processes related to tumorigenesis. The aim of this study was to identify a panel of heavily and consistently altered miRNAs in [...] Read more.

Dysregulation in miRNA expression has been reported in a variety of tumors, including colorectal cancer (CRC), where adiponectin regulates a number of processes related to tumorigenesis. The aim of this study was to identify a panel of heavily and consistently altered miRNAs in CRC that affect adiponectin signaling based on bioinformatics analysis and cross-referencing the available literature. Bioinformatics tools were used to analyze publicly available datasets to identify miRNAs targeting the adiponectin pathway that are substantially dysregulated in CRC. In parallel, a comprehensive literature review was conducted to gather and explore existing knowledge on the relationship between CRC, adiponectin signaling, and miRNA dysregulation. Bioinformatics analysis revealed a set of miRNAs that target adiponectin signaling and are consistently altered in CRC. Several candidate miRNAs, including miR-215-5p, miR-340-5p, miR-181a-5p, miR-150-5p, miR-96-5p, miR-19a-3p, and miR-21-5p, were identified as potential key regulators of the adiponectin cascade, while also being systemically dysregulated in CRC. Through gene ontology enrichment analysis, we further elucidated the biological processes and pathways impacted by these miRNAs, providing insight into their contributions to CRC. The literature review did not identify any previously reported shared connection between these miRNAs, adiponectin signaling, and CRC pathogenesis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Obesity-Associated Cancer Development and Treatments)

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