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Updated: Jun 15, 2026
07:49
Transmitochondrial Cybrid Generation Using Cancer Cell Lines
Published on: March 17, 2023
Cancer as a metabolic disease
Thomas N Seyfried1, Laura M Shelton
1Biology Department, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA. thomas.seyfried@bc.edu.
Nutrition & Metabolism
|February 26, 2010
Summary
Cancer cells exhibit impaired energy metabolism, relying on substrate-level phosphorylation over oxidative phosphorylation. This metabolic shift, linked to genomic instability, suggests viewing cancer as a metabolic disease for improved management and prevention strategies.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Cellular Metabolism
- Cancer Biology
Background:
- Normal cells primarily use oxidative phosphorylation for energy.
- Cancer cells predominantly rely on substrate-level phosphorylation.
- This metabolic shift is observed across various cancer types.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review evidence linking impaired cellular energy metabolism to cancer hallmarks.
- To propose a hypothesis connecting genomic instability to metabolic dysfunction in cancer.
- To advocate for a paradigm shift in cancer management and prevention.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of emerging evidence on cancer metabolism.
- Analysis of the relationship between mitochondrial function and cancer hallmarks.
- Synthesis of data supporting cancer as a metabolic disease.
Main Results:
- Impaired cellular energy metabolism is a common characteristic of cancer.
- Most cancer cells exhibit a dependency on substrate-level phosphorylation.
- Aerobic glycolysis (Warburg effect) and genomic instability are linked to impaired mitochondrial function.
Conclusions:
- Cancer can be fundamentally viewed as a metabolic disease.
- Understanding cancer's metabolic basis can inform new management and prevention strategies.
- Targeting cellular energy metabolism holds promise for cancer therapy.
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