Lipids: Driving Forces in the Underlying Biology of Carcinogenesis

Lipids, mainly composed of cholesterol, phospholipids, sphingolipids, triacylglycerides, and fatty acids, have vital functions within cells. Some lipids function as signaling molecules or secondary messengers and are cellular membranes' energy sources and structural elements. More research is being conducted on metabolic reprogramming as a hallmark of cancer. However, compared with the metabolism of glucose or glutamine, lipid metabolism in cancer has received less attention. There is increasing evidence that certain parts of the lipid metabolism are altered in cancer cells. The alterations could influence the quantity of lipids involved in signaling functions, affect the synthesis and breakdown of lipids necessary for maintaining energy homeostasis, and modify the availability of structural lipids critical for membrane formation. The term "lipid metabolic reprogramming" refers to modifications in the lipid metabolism that can impact cellular processes such as cell division, growth, proliferation, and the cell cycle, ultimately resulting in cancer. Furthermore, interactions between cancer cells and nearby immune cells via an altered lipid metabolism promote the development and spread of tumors. The most recent studies on the involvement of lipid metabolism in different cancers and associated hallmarks and lipids in various aspects of cancer therapeutics, which affect multiple facets of tumorigenesis, are described in this review.