Clinical and Preclinical Studies of Inflammatory Cytokines Impact on Endometrial Versus Ovarian Cancer with Obesity: A Comprehensive Literature Review

Abstract

Aim: In obesity-linked cancers in women, especially endometrial and ovarian cancer pathways are linked to hormones, inflammation, immunological, and metabolic functions, defects in DNA repair, and alterations in gene function. However, a compilation of the literature on how these inflammatory pathways are linked to endometrial and ovarian cancers is lacking. We, therefore, discuss the pathways linked to obesity and discuss whether these can be exploited for therapeutic interventions in both in vitro and in vivo studies of these two important cancers in women. Methods: A literature search was done from the last ten years and discussed the data on obesity-induced cytokines and female hormones, and their signaling pathways: in vitro, in vivo, and clinical trials in endometrial and ovarian cancer. We also determine the FDA-approved drugs currently used to enhance obesity research and the future niche in obesity research. Results: We found some unique pathways which were linked to obesity-induced cytokines and hormones that are mainly correlated to the occurrence of endometrial cancers not as much as in ovarian cancers. Some clinical trials are ongoing for these endometrial cancer patient populations with overweight. Conclusion: We summarized the literature on the expression of novel inflammatory markers for the prognosis, prevention, and potential therapy of endometrial cancer linked to obesity but not in ovarian cancer. Further studies are required in a larger population with ovarian cancer who are obese.