Oncometabolites: Linking altered metabolism with cancer

Abstract

The discovery of cancer-associated mutations in genes encoding key metabolic enzymes has provided a direct link between altered metabolism and cancer. Advances in mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance technologies have facilitated high-resolution metabolite profiling of cells and tumors and identified the accumulation of metabolites associated with specific gene defects. Here we review the potential roles of such " oncometabolites" in tumor evolution and as clinical biomarkers for the detection of cancers characterized by metabolic dysregulation.