Study of the physiological changes associated with the development of malignancy
demonstrates a metabolic signature for the different stages of tumorigenesis. Increased
glucose uptake and lactate production have been detected during malignant transformation.
Based on energy production, malignancies can be divided into two subclasses:(a) tumor
cells which use the mitochondrial machinery for ATP synthesis, and (b) tumor cells which
generate ATP by glucose fermentation and lactate production even in the presence of …