Glucose Metabolism on Tumor Plasticity, Diagnosis, and Treatment
Malignant cells support tumor proliferation and progression by adopting to metabolic changes. Tumor cells altered metabolism by increasing glucose uptake and fermentation of glucose to lactate, even in the aerobic state and the presence of functioning mitochondria. Glucose metabolism in tumor plasticity has attracted great interests by clinicians and scientists in the past decades. This review discusses the previous and emerging researches on the tumor plasticity altered by changing glucose metabolism in different cancer cells, including cancer stem cells (CSCs). In addition, we summarize the rising applications of glucose metabolism in tumor diagnosis and treatment. Our objective is to direct future investigation on this altered metabolic phenotype and its application in patient care.
Glucose Metabolism and the Warburg Effect in Tumors
Despite the extensive study on cancer metabolism with interesting results accumulated in the last decades, questions are still arising. The key process of balance among glycolysis, TCA and other pathways of the glucose metabolism in tumor remains unclear, as it is the essential mechanism of Warburg effect. In addition, it should be considered to develop more tumor-specific tracers and drugs based on the metabolic switch in tumor cells, cancer stem cells or the interaction with immune system. The ideal drugs should only applied in tumor by blocking specific pathway(s) for its metabolic plasticity but not in normal tissues. Despite the emerging of metabolic enzymes or transporters inhibitors, the efficiency of targeting tumor glucose metabolism is being challenged. To explore the metabolic plasticity in cancer under intrinsic and extrinsic influences, tumorous glucose metabolism should be addressed. Nevertheless, with technological advances, it is expected that we will uncover many other unknown aspects of glucose metabolism in cancer and use them to benefit patient care.
Common Design 