Obesity and colorectal cancer: Role of adipokines in tumor initiation and progression

Figure 1 Mechanisms linking adiposity to colorectal cancer carcinogenesis. Among these, obesity-related insulin resistance, inflammation and adipocytokine production. Adipose tissue macrophages infiltrating visceral adipose tissue exhibit a phenotypic switch from an anti-inflammatory and adipostatic to a proinflammatory and pro-adipogenic phenotype, thus contributing to obesity-related inflammation and insulin resistance. IL-6: Interleukin-6; IGF-1: Insulin-like growth factor-1; IGFBPs: Insulin-like growth factor binding protein; TNF-α: Tumor necrosis factor-α; VEGF: Vascular endothelial growth factor; PPAR-γ: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ.