Introduction to Cancer Metabolism

The fact that tumor cells have a distinct metabolic phenotype from their normal equivalents is becoming more widely recognized. Tumor metabolism exhibits a complex ecological network due to the presence of multiple metabolic compartments interconnected through the transfer of catabolites. Tumor cells exhibit markedly elevated rates of metabolism for fatty acids, glutamine, acetate, hydroxybutyrate, pyruvate, lactate, and glucose compared to nontumor cells. Tumor cells can generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as the fundamental energy unit due to their metabolic flexibility and unpredictability, which aids in maintaining the redox balance and distributing resources to essential biosynthetic activities necessary for cell proliferation, growth, and survival. Experimental data indicate that cancer growth may be induced by metabolic cross talk between cell populations exhibiting distinct, synergistic metabolic characteristics. Thus, emphasizing the metabolic variations between tumor and normal cells presents a suitable approach for anticancer strategies. Cancer cells adapt their metabolism and influence the metabolic processes of surrounding cells within the microenvironment of the tumor to ensure their proliferation and survival. This process drives disease progression; specifically, we identify targetable metabolic weaknesses that can be intervened upon.