Epidemiology: Open Access
Open Access

Abstract

The rates of obesity are rapidly rising worldwide. Obesity is now a leading cause of cancer incidence and mortality. One
in five female and one in seven male cancer deaths are attributable to obesity. My research program is focused on the
development of precision medicine-driven interventions to prevent obesity-related cancers and improve outcomes. Our team
was the first to demonstrate that inflammation of breast white adipose tissue (WAT) occurs in association with obesity and is
detected by the presence of crown-like structures (CLS). Consisting of a dead or dying adipocyte surrounded by macrophages,
CLS are associated with increased levels of proinflammatory mediators and locally enhanced estrogen signaling, which directly
promotes tumorigenesis. Additionally, we have discovered WAT inflammation at other organ sites, including the tongue and
prostate, suggesting that adipose inflammation and its systemic effects have a role in the development of several cancers.
Alarmingly, we have also identified WAT inflammation and its associated metabolic alterations in one third of lean women. It
is particularly important to develop tools that identify this cohort of at-risk individuals, given their healthy appearance. The
identification of these biologic processes underlying the obesity-cancer link has allowed us to begin developing novel and
exciting interventions to combat the ill effects of obesity. This new mechanism-based understanding of the ways by which
obesity promotes cancer is poised to transform the way we prevent and treat cancer.

Biography