The Effects of Obesity on Adipose-Derived Stromal Cells and Impact on Breast Cancer Tumorigenesis - Abstract
Obesity increases the incidence of many types of cancers, and as the incidence of obesity continues to rise, the frequency of obesity-associated cancers will likely increase. While obesity increases postmenopausal breast, endometrial, pancreatic, colorectal, and renal carcinomas, understanding the effects of obesity on postmenopausal breast cancer remains a priority, as it is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women. Obesity is characterized by the expansion of adipose tissue, resulting in inflammation of the adipose tissue. This inflammatory environment may, in turn, alter the Adiposederived Stromal Cells (ASCs) within adipose tissue, influencing their effects on breast cancer cells. Recent studies demonstrate that ASCs in obese patients traffic through the circulation and into the tumor more frequently compared to lean patients. Furthermore, once at the tumor site, ASCs have been shown to alter the gene expression profile of cancer cells, leading to the expansion and enhanced invasiveness of these cancer cells. Together, these results suggest that obesity alters the ASCs within the tumor stroma, which in turn alters the cancer cells and leads to the development of aggressive breast cancer. Future studies investigating the precise mechanisms by which ASCs isolated from obese patients enhance breast cancer cell growth and the development of new therapies to target these ASCs will decrease the morbidity and mortality of obesityassociated breast cancer