Figure 3.

Summarized potential inflammatory pathways that may be involved in obesity-associated TIME. Continuous cell proliferation and differentiation in a microenvironment containing inflammatory cells, growth factors, activated matrices, and DNA-damaged materials are crucial for inflammation to encourage cancer formation. The TIME is the essential condition for differentiation, survival, and metastasis, and inflammatory cells are closely involved in regulating the TIME. The remodeled breast TIME secretes inflammatory mediators that crosstalk with cells by acting on surface receptors, activating inflammation-related signaling pathways, and modifying the behavior of tumor, immune, and stromal cells. In an inflammatory microenvironment, there are three primary stages for tumor formation and development (initiation, promotion, and metastasis). The inflammatory microenvironment involves immune cells, inflammatory cells, and various produced bioactive chemicals, such as TNF-α, IFN-γ, interleukin, and chemokines, which participate in cancer cell tumorigenesis, growth, angiogenesis, metastasis, and resistance to therapeutic approaches.