Different Tumor Microenvironments Lead to Different Metabolic Phenotypes.

KEY POINTS: The beginning of the twenty-first century offered new advances in cancer research, including the expansion of the knowledge about the tumor microenvironment (TME). Because TMEs provide the niches in which cancer cells, fibroblast, lymphocyte, and immune cells reside, they play a key role in cancer cell development, differentiation, survival, and proliferation. Throughout cancer progression, the TME constantly evolves, causing cancer cells to adapt to the new conditions. The heterogeneity of cancer, evidenced by diverse proliferation rates, cellular structure, metabolism, and gene expression, presents challenges for cancer treatments despite the advances in research. This chapter discusses how different tumor microenvironments lead to specific metabolic adaptations which drive cancer progression.