LEP and cancer: Potential mechanisms may include the upregulation of IL-6 and/or FGF-2.261 In addition, vascular inflammation caused by adipokines like leptin leads to elevated permeability, which is indispensable for cancer metastasis.262,263 Finally, adipocytes can affect the biological behavior of carcinoma by modifying the extracellular matrix (ECM) structure which is characterized by a high degree of fibrosis in ATME.264 Typically, the researchers observed an abundant fibrotic response in tumor areas that were enriched in adipocytes or located adjacent to adipose tissue.