This book provides an overview of how changes in cellular metabolism support cancer growth and survival. Written for researchers, clinicians, and students, this book brings together key concepts and recent advances in a rapidly evolving field.
The first part introduces the main mechanisms of metabolic reprogramming in cancer. It explains how pathways such as mTORC1 signaling and p53 function are altered, and how cancer cells use processes like glycolysis, one-carbon metabolism and macropinocytosis to support their needs. Additional chapters explore the metabolism of stem cells, lipid synthesis, epigenetic regulation, and the metabolic features that enable metastasis.
The second part focuses on clinical applications, discussing how metabolic differences between tumors can be targeted, highlighting therapies against mutant IDH in glioma, and reviewing the role of diet in improving cancer treatment.
The final part presents the technologies used to study cancer metabolism. Topics include metabolomics, advanced PET imaging, hyperpolarized tracers, and systems biology of metabolism.
This book will be a useful resource for anyone interested in the role of metabolism in cancer and how it can be targeted in modern oncology.

Prof. Schulze is Head of the Division of Tumor Metabolism and Microenvironment at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg and holds a full professorship at the Faculty of Medicine, Heidelberg University. Her research focuses on oncogenic signaling and cancer metabolism, with a particular emphasis on the regulation of lipid metabolism. She has extensive expertise in metabolomics and metabolic flux analysis, applying advanced technologies such as liquid chromatography–coupled mass spectrometry. Her work includes the use of Orbitrap mass spectrometers for lipidomics and metabolomics studies.
Her scientific interests center on how oncogenic signaling pathways regulate metabolic processes and drive the metabolic dependencies of cancer cells. She has made important contributions to understanding the control of lipid synthesis during cell growth and transformation, as well as cellular energy homeostasis and stress response mechanisms.

Prof. Opitz studied medicine and molecular cell biology at Heidelberg University, earning her medical degree in 2005 and completing her doctoral thesis in 2006. She also obtained a Master’s degree in Molecular Cell Biology in 2004.
Her scientific career focuses on cancer metabolism and neuro-oncology. Since 2024, she has been a Full Professor for Metabolic Crosstalk in Cancer at Heidelberg University. She is Head of Division at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) since 2022 .Previously, she led a junior research group at DKFZ (2013–2022) and conducted postdoctoral research in Heidelberg and Tübingen. In parallel, she completed clinical training in neurology and neuro-oncology.