Metabolic pattern changes of macrophages during cancer development and progression

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are critical components of the immune cell population within the tumor microenvironment (TME), where they play dynamic and multifaceted roles throughout the progression of tumorigenesis. Recent evidence suggests that shifts in macrophage metabolic programs-including glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, fatty acid utilization, glutamine metabolism, and the pentose phosphate pathway, are closely associated with diverse and context-dependent functional states rather than fixed polarization phenotypes. During tumor progression toward invasion and metastasis, macrophage metabolic programs dynamically adapt to spatial and temporal variations within the TME, often contributing to immunoregulatory or tumor-supportive niches that facilitate angiogenesis, tumor dissemination, immune evasion, and metabolic crosstalk with tumor cells. However, the precise mechanisms underlying these context-dependent adaptations remain incompletely understood.

This article reviews current evidence regarding TAM activation states and metabolic reprogramming by various signals in the TME during tumorigenesis and tumor progression, as well as dynamic alterations in TAM metabolic patterns. Furthermore, we explore how secondary metabolites present in the TME influence macrophage metabolic reprogramming and summarize current research on potential therapeutic agents targeting macrophage metabolism.

We propose that modulating key metabolic regulators in TAMs or intervening in metabolic-immune crosstalk pathways may offer novel strategies for precision medicine in cancer therapy, providing a theoretical foundation for metabolic intervention-based immunotherapeutic approaches.