Obesity has long been recognised as a common risk factor for multiple diseases and conditions; cancer probably is one of the most terrifying. Obese females with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer generally show suboptimal response to therapy and poor outcomes, and the underlying cause has been explained by a recent United States study using mice model. Leptin secreted by adipocytes, which is supposed to mediate various biological impacts of obesity, could act as an assistant supporting tumour growth. Besides obese mice were refractory to tamoxifen treatment since the underlying signalling mechanisms might have been modulated to block the drug by the increased levels of leptin in obese state and leptin-led alteration in the expression of estrogen receptor-responsive genes was the determinant during the process. To offset leptin’s negative effect on tamoxifen, agents targeting the responsible gene Med1, such as honokiol and adiponectin, could be employed in this sense. The research team has moved to study potential treatment strategies pinpointing the mechanism.

References

1. Nagalingam A, et al. NPJ Breast Cancer. 2021;7(1):105.