Obesity as a risk factor for malignant melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer

Abstract

The dramatic increases in incidence of both obesity and many cancers including skin cancer emphasize the need to better understand the pathophysiology of both conditions and their connections. Melanoma is considered the fastest growing cancer and rates of non-melanoma skin cancer have also increased over the last decade. The molecular mechanisms underlying the association between obesity and skin cancer are not clearly understood but emerging evidence points to changes in the tumor microenvironment including aberrant cell signaling and genomic instability in the chronic inflammatory state many obese individuals experience. This article reviews the literature linking obesity to melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer.

Keywords: Basal cell carcinoma; Inflammation; Insulin; Leptin; Melanoma; Non-melanoma skin cancer; Obesity; Squamous cell carcinoma.