Hormones produced by adipocytes, leptin and adiponectin, are associated with the process of carcinogenesis. Both of these adipokines have well-proven oncologic potential and can affect many aspects of tumorigenesis, from initiation and primary tumor growth to metastatic progression. Involvement in the formation of cancer includes interactions with the tumor microenvironment and its components, such as tumor-associated macrophages, cancer-associated fibroblasts, extracellular matrix and matrix metalloproteinases. Furthermore, these adipokines participate in the epithelial–mesenchymal transition and connect to angiogenesis, which is critical for cancer invasiveness and cancer cell migration. In addition, an enormous amount of evidence has demonstrated that altered concentrations of these adipocyte-derived hormones and the expression of their receptors in tumors are associated with poor prognosis in various types of cancer. Therefore, leptin and adiponectin dysfunction play a prominent role in cancer and impact tumor invasion and metastasis in different ways. This review clearly and comprehensively summarizes the recent findings and presents the role of leptin and adiponectin in cancer initiation, promotion and progression, focusing on associations with the tumor microenvironment and its components as well as roles in the epithelial–mesenchymal transition and angiogenesis.
脂肪细胞分泌的激素——瘦素与脂联素，与癌症发生过程密切相关。这两种脂肪因子均具有明确的肿瘤学潜力，能够影响肿瘤发生的多个环节，从起始阶段、原发肿瘤生长到转移进展均发挥作用。它们参与癌症形成的机制包括与肿瘤微环境及其组分（如肿瘤相关巨噬细胞、癌症相关成纤维细胞、细胞外基质及基质金属蛋白酶）的相互作用。此外，这些脂肪因子还参与上皮-间质转化过程，并与血管生成相关联，这对肿瘤侵袭性和癌细胞迁移至关重要。大量证据表明，肿瘤组织中这些脂肪源性激素浓度的改变及其受体表达水平的变化，与多种癌症的不良预后相关。因此，瘦素与脂联素功能失调在癌症发展中起着重要作用，并以不同方式影响肿瘤侵袭和转移过程。本综述系统全面地总结了最新研究进展，阐明了瘦素与脂联素在癌症发生、促进及进展中的作用机制，重点探讨了它们与肿瘤微环境及其组分的关联，以及在上皮-间质转化和血管生成中的调控功能。
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家