Emerging roles of aerobic glycolysis in breast cancer

Altered aerobic glycolysis is a well-recognized characteristic of cancer cell energy metabolism, known as the Warburg effect. Even in the presence of abundant oxygen, a majority of tumor cells produce substantial amounts of energy through a high glycolytic metabolism, and breast cancer (BC) is no exception. Breast cancer continues to be the second leading cause of cancer-associated mortality in women worldwide. However, the precise role of aerobic glycolysis in the development of BC remains elusive. Therefore, the present review attempts to address the implication of key enzymes of the aerobic glycolytic pathway including hexokinase (HK), phosphofructokinase (PFK) and pyruvate kinase (PK), glucose transporters (GLUTs), together with related signaling pathways including protein kinase B(PI3K/AKT), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and transcription factors (c-myc, p53 and HIF-1) in the research of BC. Thus, the review of aerobic glycolysis in BC may evoke novel ideas for the BC treatment.