Obesity constitutes a major global health burden
According to the World Obesity Federation, the worldwide prevalence of obesity has more than tripled between 1975 and 2022. Both adults and children are impacted.
In 2022, over 1 billion people (about 880 million adults + 159 million children/adolescents) were estimated to be living with obesity.
The global adult population with obesity is projected to increase from ~524 million in 2010 to ~1.13 billion by 2030 (+115 %).
Compared with people of healthy weight, those with overweight or obesity are at greater risk for many diseases, including diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and at least 13 types of cancer, as well as having an elevated risk of death from all causes.
Impact of obesity on cancer development
There is a strong and well-established relationship between obesity and cancer. Obesity increases the risk, recurrence, and mortality of several types of cancer.
A Working Group from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reviewed over 1,000 studies and found consistent evidence that higher levels of body fat are linked to an increased risk of several types of cancer.
Obesity creates an internal environment — with excess hormones, inflammation, immune disruption, and altered cell signalling — that supports the initiation, growth, and survival of cancer cells.
As an example, during obese adipose tissue expansion, preadipocyte differentiation is impaired, and hypoxia activates hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) to decrease adiponectin expression and upregulate leptin. HIF-1 also promotes angiogenesis by turning on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is known to have a direct influence on breast cancer invasion and migration.
Moreover, because obese individuals are often excluded or underrepresented in trials, there is limited data on drug efficacy and safety for this group, making it uncertain whether standard therapies work equally well.
Efficacy of existing cancer therapies
Existing cancer drugs may be less effective in obese patients, as this population is often underrepresented in clinical trials, limiting data on optimal dosing and treatment response.
Many cancer drugs are dosed based on body surface area or weight. If trials include few obese patients, optimal dosing for this group may not be well-established, potentially leading to under- or over-dosing.
Obesity can change how drugs are absorbed, distributed, metabolised, and cleared from the body. Drugs tested mainly in non-obese populations may behave differently in obese patients.
Obesity alters hormone levels, inflammation, and immune system function, all of which can affect how cancer grows and responds to therapy.
Because obese individuals are often excluded or underrepresented in trials because of existing comorbidities, there is limited data on drug efficacy and safety for this group, making it uncertain whether standard therapies work equally well.
Our science
At SARKKOS Therapeutics, our guiding hypothesis is built on the principle that obesity goes beyond being just a risk factor; it acts as a molecular driver of cancer.
Thus, SARKKOS Therapeutics is developing a pipeline of small-molecule inhibitors that directly inhibit a specific target that we believe plays a role in the modulation of obesity-linked oncogenic pathways in solid tumours. SARKKOS Therapeutics is advancing tailored therapies for individuals affected by obesity-related cancers.
Picon-Ruiz et al. Obesity and adverse breast cancer risk and outcome: Mechanistic insights and strategies for intervention. CA CANCER J CLIN 2017;67:378–397