The research focuses on investigating the impact of obesity on tumor progression. Using validated and well-characterized cellular models of dysfunctional adipose and immune cells – representative of the adipose tissue microenvironment in obese individuals – the study aims to elucidate how obesity-related soluble factors contribute to increasing malignancy of breast and thyroid cancers. Particular attention is given to the interplay between obesity-driven stimuli and specific oncogenic mutations, such as BRAF in thyroid cancer, and how this interaction promotes tumorigenicity, metabolic rewiring and resistance to targeted therapies.