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Updated: Jan 9, 2026

In Vitro Modeling of Cancerous Neural Invasion: The Dorsal Root Ganglion Model
Published on: April 12, 2016
Neural hijacking in cancer metabolism: from nutrients to organelles
Songhui Shin1, Su Yeon Myoung1, Hye Jin Cho1
1Department of Physiology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
Tumors dynamically interact with the central and peripheral nervous systems, hijacking neural plasticity and reprogramming metabolism in a bidirectional manner to drive cancer progression. Neural inputs reshape the metabolism of cancer cells and their microenvironment - glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, and lipid metabolism - while tumors exploit neuronal nutrients and mitochondria to thrive under metabolic stress. This review explores neurocancer metabolic crosstalk through multiple mechanisms by three principal modes of interaction, highlighting how targeting these metabolic interdependencies could disrupt tumor progression. By integrating cancer metabolism and neuroscience, it offers a conceptual framework for understanding neural-tumor metabolic circuits in malignancy and identifies potential therapeutic vulnerabilities.
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