Obesity is the largest pandemic, the human being has undergone. Obesity has been linked to several
health-related problems, but recent epidemiological studies have uncovered a link between excess body weight
and certain types of cancers. We have begun to realize the complexity of the biological mechanisms that link
obesity and being overweight to many forms of cancer. In this chapter, I briefly review these epidemiological
findings and the three molecular pathways currently proposed to link body weight gain and cancer risk. Despite
the fact that these molecular pathways, vary and depend on both sex and the type of cancer, I briefly discuss the
possible roles of three hormonal systems, the adipose derived hormones, the Insulin-Like Growth Factor (IGF)
axis and sex steroids, in linking obesity and cancer risk.
Keywords: Adiponectin, leptin, insulin, insulin-like growth factor, IGFBP, sex steroids, SHBG obesity, cancer.
