Adipose Tissues Have Been Overlooked as Players in Prostate Cancer Progression - Academic review

Sep 21, 2026

Obesity is a common risk factor across multiple tumor types, including prostate cancer, and is linked to metastasis, therapeutic resistance, and higher mortality. The review addresses the still-limited understanding of how adipose tissue shapes the tumor microenvironment. It compares healthy versus obese adipose tissue and emphasizes metabolic alterations, abnormal adipokine secretion, immune cell changes, and increased oxidative stress driving prostate cancer development and progression.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages30

Reading Time1 h 16 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Keywords

Introduction

Prostate cancer burden and therapy options

Obesity, inflammation, and tumor-promoting microenvironments

Review scope and therapeutic implications

Review Adipose Tissues Have Been Overlooked as Players in Prostate Cancer Progression Kia T. Liermann-Wooldrik , Elizabeth A. Kosmacek and Rebecca E. Oberley-Deegan * Citation: Liermann-Wooldrik, K.T.; Kosmacek, E.A.; Oberley-Deegan, R.E. Adipose Tissues Have Been Overlooked as Players in Prostate Cancer Progression. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25, 12137. [https://doi.org/](https://doi.org/)[ ](https://doi.org/)[10.3390/ijms252212137](10.3390/ijms252212137) Academic Editor: Pinar Uysal-Onganer Received: 7 October 2024 Revised: 7 November 2024 Accepted: 10 November 2024 Published: 12 November 2024 Copyright: © 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ([https://](https://)[ ](https://)[creativecommons.org/licenses/by/](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[ ](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[4.0/](4.0/)) . Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 985870 University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA; [kliermann@unmc.edu](kliermann@unmc.edu) (K.T.L.-W.) * [Correspondence: becky.deegan@unmc.edu](Correspondence: becky.deegan@unmc.edu); Tel.: +1-402-559-9364 Abstract: Obesity is a common risk factor in multiple tumor types, including prostate cancer. Obesity has been associated with driving metastasis, therapeutic resistance, and increased mortality. The effect of adipose tissue on the tumor microenvironment is still poorly understood. This review aims to highlight the work conducted in the field of obesity and prostate cancer and bring attention to areas where more research is needed. In this review, we have described key differences between healthy adipose tissues and obese adipose tissues, as they relate to the tumor microenvironment, focusing on mechanisms related to metabolic changes, abnormal adipokine secretion, altered immune cell presence, and heightened oxidative stress as drivers of prostate cancer formation and progression. Interestingly, common treatment options for prostate cancer ignore the adipose tissue located near the site of the tumor. Because of this, we have outlined how excess adipose tissue potentially affects therapeutics’ efficacy, such as androgen deprivation, chemotherapy, and radiation treatment, and identified possible drug targets to increase prostate cancer responsiveness to clinical treatments. Understanding how obesity affects the tumor microenvironment will pave the way for understanding why some prostate cancers become metastatic or treatment-resistant, and why patients experience recurrence. Keywords: inflammation; drug therapy; obesity; radiation; oxidative stress; tumor microenvironment; pro-inflammatory 1. Introduction Prostate cancer is the third most diagnosed cancer in the United States behind only skin cancer and breast cancer [1,2] and is the second most diagnosed cancer in males around the world [3] . A total of 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime. Of those men, 1 in 41 will die due to complications related to prostate cancer [2,4] . Therapeutic options include surgery, radiation, hormonal-based therapies, and chemotherapy [5] . While the five-year survival rate for prostate cancer is quite high, metastasis, castration resistance, and recurrence result in prostate cancer mortality [2,4] . In a prospective study on men with prostate cancer, adiposity was evaluated and deemed to be associated with characteristics of a higher Gleason Score in patients diagnosed with prostate cancer [6] . Obesity is one of the most common diseases in the world, with 1 in 8 people, or 39.2% of males, living with obesity [7] . Obesity, induced by poor diet, is characterized by large amounts of white adipose tissue (WAT) accumulation [8] . WAT has a large number of lipid droplets, which can aid in the formation of tumors by providing the components needed for metabolism, membrane b

FAQs

How does obesity influence prostate cancer progression according to the review?

Obesity is associated with driving metastasis, therapeutic resistance, and increased mortality. It promotes a tumor-supportive microenvironment through metabolic changes, chronic inflammation, and oxidative stress.

What differences between healthy and obese adipose tissue are highlighted?

The review describes how obese adipose tissue alters the tumor microenvironment via metabolic changes, abnormal adipokine secretion, altered immune cell presence, and heightened oxidative stress.

Why might standard prostate cancer treatments be less effective in obese patients?

Common treatments may overlook adipose tissue near the tumor, which can affect the efficacy of androgen deprivation, chemotherapy, and radiation. The review outlines possible ways excess adipose tissue can influence therapeutic response and identifies potential drug targets.

Sep 21, 2026

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