Fortrea Thought Leadership: Unraveling the Link Between Obesity, Metabolic Inflammation, and Cancer

Published in Onco (MDPI, October 2025), “The Role of Metabolic Inflammation and Insulin Resistance in Obesity-Associated Carcinogenesis – A Narrative Review” represents a milestone in Fortrea’s commitment to advancing translational oncology.

Authored by Ademar Cunha, Paulo Nunes , Luca Cantini , Laura Vidal  and Kamal S. Saini from Fortrea and colleagues from UNICAMP, the review examines how obesity-associated inflammation and metabolic dysregulation converge to promote tumor development and resistance to therapy.

Obesity, now recognized as a chronic low-grade inflammatory state (Figure below), reshapes the tumor microenvironment through cytokine release, immune modulation and hormonal imbalance. The review outlines how adipose tissue dysfunction—marked by increased secretion of leptin, IL-6, and TNF-α—activates oncogenic pathways such as NF-κB, JAK/STAT3 and PI3K/Akt/mTOR, creating conditions that sustain tumor growth, angiogenesis and metastasis. Insulin resistance further amplifies these processes through hyperinsulinemia and IGF-1 signaling, establishing a biochemical loop that links metabolic health to cancer progression.

Beyond mechanistic insight, the article underscores the urgent need for integrated strategies targeting the metabolic–inflammatory axis. Evidence supports the idea that interventions such as lifestyle modification, physical activity and emerging pharmacological agents (e.g., GLP-1 receptor agonists) may mitigate oncogenic pathways driven by obesity. The review also highlights novel therapeutic opportunities, including inhibitors of STAT3, HIF-1α, and PI3K/mTOR, as promising directions for precision oncology in obese and metabolically compromised patients.

This publication reflects Fortrea’s experience in bridging metabolic and oncologic sciences, promoting multidisciplinary collaboration across oncology, endocrinology and immunology. By dissecting the molecular and clinical intersections between obesity and cancer, Fortrea contributes to shaping the next generation of preventive and therapeutic strategies aimed at reducing the global burden of obesity-related malignancies.

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