Peritumoral adipose tissue: A bidirectional regulator of cancer.

Peritumoral adipose tissue (PAT) is a bidirectional regulator of cancer, actively promoting tumor progression while tumors also reorganize PAT to reinforce a tumor-supportive microenvironment.

• Why it matters: The tumor microenvironment is shaped by dynamic tumor–adipose crosstalk, but the reciprocal mechanisms and therapeutic implications of PAT’s two-way regulation need consolidation.
• What they did: This review synthesizes evidence that PAT drives tumor progression via metabolic reprogramming, immune modulation, and stromal vascular remodeling, while tumors induce PAT fibrosis, browning, and systemic effects such as cachexia.
• The result: Reciprocal tumor–PAT changes reinforce a tumor-supportive microenvironment and highlight the adipose–tumor axis as a promising target for emerging cancer therapies.