The double face of cold in cancer

Redox and metabolic reprogramming in breast cancer and cancer-associated adipose tissue

Redox and metabolic processes are tightly coupled in both physiological and pathological conditions. In cancer, their integration occurs at multiple levels and is characterized by synchronized reprogramming both in the tumor tissue and its specific but heterogeneous microenvironment. In breast cancer, the principal microenvironment is the cancer-associated adipose tissue (CAAT). Understanding how the redox-metabolic reprogramming becomes coordinated in human breast cancer is imperative both for cancer prevention and for the establishment of new therapeutic approaches. This review aims to provide an overview of the current knowledge of the redox profiles and regulation of intermediary metabolism in breast cancer while considering the tumor and CAAT of breast cancer as a unique Warburg's pseudo-organ. As cancer is now recognized as a systemic metabolic disease, we have paid particular attention to the cell-specific redox-metabolic reprogramming and the roles of estrogen receptors and circadian rhythms, as well as their crosstalk in the development, growth, progression, and prognosis of breast cancer.

A mechanistic view of the use of cold temperature in the treatment of cancer

In their latest article, Seki and colleagues investigate the potential role of cold as a therapeutical option to treat various cancer types, including even clinically untreatable cancers such as pancreatic cancers. The authors suggest that cold exposure may have a tumor-suppressive effect mediated by the activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT), in charge of dissipating heat through non-shivering thermogenesis. In this regard, circulating blood glucose is decreased, restricting the tumor glucose uptake, which is redistributed, favoring BAT uptake to fuel thermogenesis.¹.