Immunometabolism: crosstalk with tumor metabolism and implications for cancer immunotherapy

Huiru Zhang1,2, Jialiang Fan2,3, Deyang Kong1,2

  • 1Department of Colorectal Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.

Molecular Cancer
|October 8, 2025
PubMed

Immunometabolism has established a groundbreaking paradigm for cancer immunotherapy by decoding the intricate interaction networks between metabolic pathways and immune responses. This review comprehensively explores the metabolic reprogramming of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment, analyzes the roles of key metabolic pathways, enzymes, and metabolites in immune regulation, and unveils the intricate metabolic interactions between tumor and immune cells. Furthermore, we discuss how metabolic interventions can enhance antitumor immune responses and highlight the potential of immunometabolic checkpoints as therapeutic targets. Future research in immunometabolism will focus on the application of advanced technologies, the discovery of novel metabolic biomarkers, and metabolomics-driven personalized medicine to advance cancer diagnosis, treatment, and precision oncology.

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