Categories >> Treatments >> Healthy Diet >> Metabolic Treatment for Cancer
Metabolic treatment for cancer aims to target the altered metabolic pathways of cancer cells, often relying on their high dependence on glucose, by using drugs or dietary modifications to disrupt their energy production, essentially “starving” the cancer cells and hindering their growth and spread; this approach leverages the “Warburg effect” where cancer cells primarily use glycolysis for energy even in the presence of oxygen, making their metabolism a potential therapeutic target. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Key points about metabolic cancer treatment: [1, 2, 4, 6]
• Targeting specific pathways: Treatments focus on inhibiting key enzymes in metabolic pathways like glycolysis (glucose breakdown), glutaminolysis (glutamine metabolism), or mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, which are crucial for cancer cell survival. [1, 2, 4, 6]
• Drug interventions: Metabolic inhibitors are drugs designed to block specific steps in these metabolic pathways, preventing cancer cells from producing necessary energy molecules. [1, 2, 4]
• Dietary modifications: Some metabolic therapies involve dietary changes like calorie restriction or ketogenic diets, which can alter the body’s metabolic state and potentially deprive cancer cells of essential nutrients. [1, 3, 6]
• Potential benefits: [1, 3, 6]
• May be effective against cancers with high metabolic demands. [1, 3, 6]
• Can potentially be combined with other cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy to enhance their efficacy. [1, 4, 7]
• Challenges and considerations: [2, 4]
• Normal cells also utilize the same metabolic pathways to some extent, which can lead to side effects. [2, 4]
• Identifying the most effective metabolic targets for specific cancer types is crucial. [2, 6, 8]
• Resistance to metabolic therapies can develop over time. [2, 4, 9]
Examples of metabolic targets in cancer therapy: [4, 9]
• Glucose transporters (GLUTs): Blocking the uptake of glucose into cancer cells by inhibiting GLUT proteins. [4, 9]
• Hexokinase: An enzyme involved in the first step of glycolysis. [4, 5]
• Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH): Crucial for converting pyruvate to lactate in glycolysis [4]
• Glutaminase: Enzyme involved in glutamine metabolism [9]
• Mitochondrial inhibitors: Drugs that disrupt mitochondrial function, impacting oxidative phosphorylation [6, 10]
[1] https://www.esperance.com/en-US/treating-cancer/primary-cancer-treatments/metabolic-therapy
[2] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9793001/
[3] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10574675/
[4] https://molecular-cancer.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12943-024-02119-3
[5] https://www.nature.com/articles/emm201385
[6] https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/metabolic-therapy
[7] https://cinj.org/research/cancer-metabolism
[8] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550413123002656
[9] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41573-021-00339-6
[10] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8467939/
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