Is Cancer a Metabolic Disease? The Answer of Metabolomics Volume 2

Dear Colleagues,

Cancer is almost unanimously considered to be the result of genetic alterations at the nuclear level of oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes. This theory is considered almost a dogma, to the point that the National Cancer Institute states that “Cancer is a genetic disease—that is, it is caused by changes to genes that control the way our cells function, especially how they grow and divide”. In this context, the metabolic changes observed in cells, tissues, and organisms are the consequence of these genetic signatures. However, several inconsistencies of this theory have been observed, giving rise to an alternative explanation of cancer as a disease that begins with a mitochondrial metabolic dysfunction, in some sense returning to Otto Warburg’s original observation. Recent data indicate, however, that mitochondrial metabolism can be down- or upregulated, giving rise to two types of tumors: oxidative and nonoxidative. From this perspective, metabolic alterations are the cause of the genetic alterations that influence the development of cancer. What causes metabolic alteration is a matter of discussion, but potential candidates are increased inflammation, increased ROS formation, and overstimulation of PARPs. Although we do not yet have enough evidence to fully embrace the metabolic theory, or to accurately weight the relative importance that both factors—genetic mutations and metabolic alterations—play in the origin of the disease, metabolomics can make a significant contribution. The fact that metabolism can have a crucial role places it on the same level as genomics and transcriptomics for the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer, and assigns it a unique place for the discovery of new specific therapeutic targets. In this exciting field, we still have almost everything to discover and much to gain in the understanding of a disease that has become one of the most demanding challenges of modern medicine.

Dr. Daniel Oscar Cicero
Dr. Greta Petrella
Guest Editors

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• cancer metabolism
• metabolomics
• carcinogenesis
• cancer biomarkers