Abstract

Obesity is a multifactorial metabolic condition increasingly recognized as a major risk factor for several cancers, 
including those of the breast, endometrium, colon, pancreas, kidney, and liver. This paper provides an integrative 
synthesis of the biological, epidemiological, therapeutic, and socio-ethical dimensions of the obesity–cancer nexus. 
Evidence demonstrates that excess adiposity promotes carcinogenesis through metabolic, hormonal, and 
inflammatory pathways involving insulin–IGF signaling, adipokine imbalance, oxidative stress, and chronic low
grade inflammation. Lifestyle, pharmacologic, and surgical interventions that induce weight loss show potential 
for lowering cancer incidence and improving outcomes among survivors, though the magnitude and timing of 
effects remain uncertain. Lifestyle interventions combining diet, physical activity, and behavioral modification 
produce the most consistent benefits, while pharmacotherapies and bariatric surgery offer additional options for 
high-risk groups. Persistent knowledge gaps concern the temporal dynamics of obesity, genetic modifiers, and 
population-specific responses. Ethical and equity considerations reveal that obesity and cancer risks are unequally 
distributed, disproportionately affecting low-income and minority populations who face barriers to prevention and 
treatment. Globally, obesity-related cancers are rising rapidly, with marked regional variation reflecting 
differences in environment, socioeconomic status, and health infrastructure. Integrating obesity prevention into 
cancer control policies, advancing translational research, and addressing structural health inequities are essential 
to mitigating the growing global burden of obesity-associated cancers.