Cancer Metabolism as a New Real Target in Tumor Therapy

Cancer cells exhibit common hallmarks consisting of specific competencies acquired during the tumorigenesis process, including stimulation of cancer cell proliferation, insensitivity to growth signal inhibition, apoptosis evasion, enhancement of replicative potential, induction of angiogenesis, and tissue invasion and metastasis. To sustain the high rate of proliferation, most cancer cells use metabolic adaptations promoting their survival under harsh conditions. These phenomena are known as metabolic rewiring. Metabolic rewiring is considered the major pathogenic driving force for malignant transformation. In cell transformation, arising in different cell types through the dysregulation of several pathways, metabolic rewiring is a common feature founded on three main requirements: ATP generation, synthesis of biological precursors for sustaining cell growth, and efficient handling of reactive oxygen species (ROS) for the maintenance of the oxidative balance. More recently, cancer metabolic alterations have been shown to play a role in the sensitivity of cancer cells to the most used chemotherapeutics, suggesting that cancer metabolic rewiring is an important mediator of drug-resistant cancer