“Altered metabolism is a universal property of
most, if not all, cancer cells.”

“The Warburg effect in tumor progression: Mitochondrial
oxidative metabolism as an anti-metastasis mechanism,”

J Lu, et al, 2015

There is a revolution in-progress in medicine. A revolution that is redefining the very nature of disease. What event has caused such a
change? Technology has been introduced which can accurately and consistently measure chemical and genetically-based molecules existing in blood and tissue. In the last several years, the quantity of research in
this field has expanded exponentially with thousands of articles published, thousands of molecules identified. Each molecule represents an agent, naturally produced by the body in response to another stimulus, another agent. The technology and abundance of research enabled, has provided a wealth of data and resulting conclusion
from each study. Unfortunately, this newfound knowledge has also brought confusion and opportunity for abuse. Many drugs have been introduced which target a single agent (protein, gene, cell type, etc.) which have demonstrated short-term reversal of disease processes only to later introduce a much more aggressive, typically incurable, form of
the disease or cancer. Statistically, the numbers of patients living with terminal cancers has increased while the quality of life for these individuals has decreased. The cost of care has produced an insurmountable burden to them, their families and society as whole. Does the patient have choice, when the alternative is an earlier death? In fact, the landscape is so poor, many patients choose death. In spite of the thousands of research studies, the hundred’s of new drugs, accelerated FDA approvals, and 100s of billions of dollars in investment, today’s leadership in medicine must still admit that they are really no closer to cure of most, if not all cancers.

In 2000, an article was published which sought to define the “hallmarks” of cancer. Entitled, “The Hallmarks of Cancer,” the article attempted to outline and describe the key characteristics of most if not all cancers. In 2011, the same authors published a revised, updated paper, entitled “Hallmarks of Cancer: The Next Generation,” again attempting to describe the key characteristics, the hallmarks of cancer. In the revised article, the authors chose to include important characteristics of cancers which were previously unknown, or ignored. In their article, the termed characteristics to be “emerging hallmarks,” inflammation, changes in cell metabolism, avoiding immune response and recognition of the role of the tumor microenvironment. Today, these “emerging hallmarks” are now validated and accepted characteristics of all cancers. This is a revolution, a revolution of awareness, at least.

So what value is this revolution in our understanding of the nature of disease, of cancer? Is it redefining medicine? Redefining our concepts of disease? Only if this new understanding of disease can result in improved outcomes. If not, it is only then, an opportunity for a continuation of the failure of medicine that exists in its current state. Unfair? If medical outcomes were defined by any other industry, by outcomes per dollars
invested, the doors would have been closed years ago. Of course, medicine exempt from responsibility from expectations of performance, they hold our very lives in their hands. We are presented with very low
expectations and conditioned to be grateful for any small success (a small delay in the inevitable).

Altered Cell Metabolism – a characteristic of
All Cancers!

Finally, medicine has accepted what was hypothesized over 80 years ago by Otto Warburg. Cancer is a disease of altered cell metabolism, described as glycolysis, which participates in altering the cellular
microvenvironment. Cell biology is a sequence of genesis, growth and death. Each cell’s metabolism generates the energy for its function, survival and growth. A change in the cell’s metabolism can, and does, impact the cell’s function, survival and growth.