Molecular Aspects of Cancer Cell Metabolism: Altered Glycolysis and Lipid Metabolism

Cancer cells have high proliferation rate and therefore require continuous energy source. Metabolic alteration in pathways like glycolysis and lipid metabolism gives a better chance of survival for cancer cells. Cancer cells produce lactic acid from glucose in the presence of oxygen and suppress tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. This phenomenon is known as the Warburg effect. Cancer cells have the ability to perform de novo synthesis of lipids. These alterations in metabolism of cancer cells provide them multimodal advantages and differentiate them from normal cells. These altered metabolisms can be used for tracking and isolating the cancer cells from normal cell population and further can be targeted for cancer-specific treatment. In this chapter, we have highlighted the cancer cell advantages over normal cell in two specific pathways: Glycolysis and Lipid metabolism. These two strategic pathways are utilized by cancer cells for their survival and progression.