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Review
. 2022 Mar 21;23(6):3404.
doi: 10.3390/ijms23063404.

Renal Cell Cancer and Obesity

Anna Gluba-Brzózka  1 , Jacek Rysz  1 , Janusz Ławiński  2 , Beata Franczyk  1
Affiliations
Review

Renal Cell Cancer and Obesity

Anna Gluba-Brzózka et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Cancers are a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality. There are many risk factors for tumours, including advanced age, personal or family history of cancer, some types of viral infections, exposure to radiation and some chemicals, smoking and alcohol consumption, as well as obesity. Increasing evidence suggest the role of obesity in the initiation and progression of various cancers, including renal cell carcinoma. Since tumours require energy for their uncontrollable growth, it appears plausible that their initiation and development is associated with the dysregulation of cells metabolism. Thus, any state characterised by an intake of excessive energy and nutrients may favour the development of various cancers. There are many factors that promote the development of renal cell carcinoma, including hypoxia, inflammation, insulin resistance, excessive adipose tissue and adipokines and others. There are also many obesity-related alterations in genes expression, including DNA methylation, single nucleotide polymorphisms, histone modification and miRNAs that can promote renal carcinogenesis. This review focuses on the impact of obesity on the risk of renal cancers development, their aggressiveness and patients' survival.

Keywords: hypoxia; inflammation; obesity; renal cell cancer.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The summary of hypoxia-related mechanisms involved in tumour initiation, progression and metastases.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The summary of inflammation-related mechanisms involved in tumour initiation, progression and metastases.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The summary of insulin-resistance- and adipose-tissue-related mechanisms involved in tumour initiation, progression and metastases.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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