Progress in the field of cancer metabolism

In the six years since the publication of the Cell Metabolism review paper "The emerging hallmarks of cancer metabolism" there has been much progress in the field. In this review, Dr. Craig Thompson, Dr. Jiajun Zhu, and Dr. Natalya Pavlova incorporate recent advances into a conceptual framework that may help guide further research efforts in exploring cancer cell metabolism.

?The hallmarks of cancer metabolism: Still emerging

Natalya N. Pavlova, Jiajun Zhu, and Craig B. Thompson

Why is this review important right now?

We are at an exciting inflection point in the field of cancer metabolism. Rapid progress is being made in not only understanding the metabolism of cancer cells themselves, but also of various other tumor-associated cells such as fibroblasts, T lymphocytes, macrophages, and endothelial cells. In a similar vein, investigations into the metabolism of metastatic cells are leading to fresh insights into the metabolic 'soil' of the tissues that are targeted by metastatic cells. We hope this review will inspire others to join in exploring the role competition for nutrients plays in cancer pathogenesis and progression.

What do you hope other researchers will take away from this review?

The main message we want to leave readers with is that transformed cells are not the only cells that are anabolically active within a tumor. The other cells found in tumors also carry out anabolic programs that can support tumor growth or, in the case of immune cells, can use anabolic metabolism to kill tumor cells. Accordingly, cancer metabolism encompasses studying a diverse spectrum of cell types present within the tumor microenvironment, all competing for the metabolites that are available.

What has been the greatest challenge to the field of metabolism in cancer?

The field of cancer metabolism has matured in the past five years. However, the metabolic conditions that cells experience within tumors remain difficult to model in culture and monitor?in vivo. This is not only because the most widely used culture media do not faithfully reflect the nutrient composition of the human extracellular fluid, but also because the metabolic milieu within the tumor is heterogeneous and is dynamically maintained through the metabolic competition and cooperation of a multitude of cell types. This challenge has already inspired the creation of novel culture media formulations as well as a number of exciting and ingenious new approaches and tools to study tumor metabolite availability and utilization?in vivo. In the coming decades, these new approaches promise to shed even greater light on the role metabolites and metabolic waste play in the development and progression of cancer.

Dr. Craig B. Thompson, MD Cancer Biology and Genetics Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA

Dr. Natalya N. Pavlova Cancer Biology and Genetics Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA

Dr. Jiajun Zhu Department of Basic Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China