Visceral obesity, or excess intra-abdominal fat, is associated with a higher risk and mortality of many cancers. We propose that this is a consequence of unique proteins secreted by visceral adipose as well as stromal cells which migrate out of visceral fat and into neighboring tumors. We will systematically determine the differences between visceral and subcutaneous adipose using adipose samples from patients and mouse models of obesity; thus the goal of these studies is to determine exactly how visceral adipose supports cancer formation.

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