Molecular pathways between obesity, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)

Obesity represents a major health problem worldwide. World health organization estimated that over 650 million adults were obese in 2016 and 1.9 billion were overweight (1). In the United States, the prevalence of obesity is approximately 36%, whereas it ranges from 10% to 30% in different countries (1-3) in Europe. It is well known that obesity is a strong risk factor for a number of diseases, including diabetes, hyperlipidemia, coronary artery disease, obstructive sleep apnea, chronic kidney disease, depression, and several cancers, such as breast, uterus and colorectal cancer (3).