ABSTRACT
In the last few decades, the world has been challenged with a cluster of metabolic disturbances that induce susceptibility to cancer and cardiovascular diseases, two major pathological conditions that contributes to the increasing morbidity and mortality rates in the 21st century. Among these disturbances are obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome co-aggregates established cardiovascular risk factors, including insulin resistance, hypertension, dislipidemia and central obesity itself. Interestingly, adipose tissue is no longer considered a merely energy storage tissue. Rather, the release of distinct hormones, as well as of inflammatory cytokines,
rendered it an established endocrine and inflammatory organ with a potential to modulate angiogenesis. Accordingly, obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome are characterized by distinct features that enhance angiogenesis, such as hypoxia, low grade inflammation, oxidative stress, hormone imbalance or hyperglycemia, which are also key players in cancer development and progression. Corroborating these findings, metabolic disorders have been associated with increased incidence and poor outcome of several types of neoplasia, including the highly prevalent breast, prostate and colorectal cancer. Therefore, angiogenesis is very likely a key player in this association between these metabolic conditions and cancer. Given the epidemic character of obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome, which are already considered to be major public health threats, and elucidating the angiogenic mechanisms implicated in these metabolic disorders predisposing and promoting cancer, becomes of paramount importance. The present chapter focuses on the pro-angiogenic environment that is primarily developed in these metabolic disorders, and its relevance to tumor progression.
