[The research advances in the relationship between visfatin and cancer].

Visfatin is a cytokine secreted by visceral adipose tissue, which plays an important role in obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, atherosclerosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome. Additionally, visfatin is also involved in the metabolic syndrome-associated malignancies such as breast, colon, gastric and endometrial cancers. Visfatin inhibitor might be a potential antitumor therapeutic strategy for inhibiting the growth of many cancers.