Inflammation and cancer: friend or foe? Inflammation, particularly chronic inflammation, plays a critical role in the onset and progression of various chronic diseases, including neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer. Chronic inflammation is closely linked to cancer, sharing common signaling pathways. At least 20% of breast and colorectal cancers are associated with chronic inflammation triggered by infections, irritants, or autoimmune diseases. Obesity, chronic inflammation, and cancer are interconnected, highlighting the importance of population-based interventions to maintain healthy body weight and disrupt this axis. The dietary inflammatory index is correlated with an increased risk of cancer, suggesting that an anti-inflammatory diet supplemented with nutraceuticals may be useful for cancer prevention. Natural products and their derivatives offer promising antitumor activity with favorable adverse effect profiles, but their development is challenging due to variability and complexity, requiring rigorous research. Combining anti-inflammatory products with plant-derived products demonstrates clinical utility as accessible adjuvants to traditional therapies. Pharmacological approaches targeting multiple proteins involved in inflammation and cancer pathogenesis are promising. Given the systemic and multifactorial nature of inflammation, comprehensive strategies are essential for long-term cancer therapy success. Understanding genetic variability, environmental exposure, dietary habits, and TME composition is crucial for establishing therapeutic approaches based on molecular and genetic analysis. Endocannabinoid, cannabinoid, and prostamide-type compounds may serve as therapeutic targets or biomarkers, requiring further investigation. This review aims to elucidate the role of specific etiological agents and mediators contributing to persistent inflammatory reactions in tumor development and explores potential therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment, emphasizing the urgent need for cost-effective approaches to address cancer-associated inflammation. Keywords: chronic inflammation, cancer, obesity, immune cells, cannabinoids, endocannabinoid system, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.Inflammation and cancer: friend or foe? Inflammation, particularly chronic inflammation, plays a critical role in the onset and progression of various chronic diseases, including neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer. Chronic inflammation is closely linked to cancer, sharing common signaling pathways. At least 20% of breast and colorectal cancers are associated with chronic inflammation triggered by infections, irritants, or autoimmune diseases. Obesity, chronic inflammation, and cancer are interconnected, highlighting the importance of population-based interventions to maintain healthy body weight and disrupt this axis. The dietary inflammatory index is correlated with an increased risk of cancer, suggesting that an anti-inflammatory diet supplemented with nutraceuticals may be useful for cancer prevention. Natural products and their derivatives offer promising antitumor activity with favorable adverse effect profiles, but their development is challenging due to variability and complexity, requiring rigorous research. Combining anti-inflammatory products with plant-derived products demonstrates clinical utility as accessible adjuvants to traditional therapies. Pharmacological approaches targeting multiple proteins involved in inflammation and cancer pathogenesis are promising. Given the systemic and multifactorial nature of inflammation, comprehensive strategies are essential for long-term cancer therapy success. Understanding genetic variability, environmental exposure, dietary habits, and TME composition is crucial for establishing therapeutic approaches based on molecular and genetic analysis. Endocannabinoid, cannabinoid, and prostamide-type compounds may serve as therapeutic targets or biomarkers, requiring further investigation. This review aims to elucidate the role of specific etiological agents and mediators contributing to persistent inflammatory reactions in tumor development and explores potential therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment, emphasizing the urgent need for cost-effective approaches to address cancer-associated inflammation. Keywords: chronic inflammation, cancer, obesity, immune cells, cannabinoids, endocannabinoid system, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.