title: The metabolic state of cancer stem cells-a valid target for cancer therapy?
abstract: In the 1920s Otto Warburg first described high glucose uptake, aerobic glycolysis, and high lactate production in tumors. Since then high glucose uptake has been utilized in the development of PET imaging for cancer. However, despite a deepened understanding of the molecular underpinnings of glucose metabolism in cancer, this fundamental difference between normal and malignant tissue has yet to be employed in targeted cancer therapy in the clinic. In this review, we highlight attempts in the recent literature to target cancer cell metabolism and elaborate on the challenges and controversies of these strategies in general and in the context of tumor cell heterogeneity in cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, David Geffen School of Medicine, and Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1714, USA.
authors.forename: Erina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vlashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, David Geffen School of Medicine, and Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1714, USA. Electronic address: pajonk@ucla.edu.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pajonk
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen
keywords: Cancer stem cells; Free radicals; Glycolysis; Oxidative phosphorylation; Radiation