Oncometabolites at the crossroads of genetic, epigenetic and ecological alterations in cancer

By the time a tumor reaches clinical detectability, it contains around 108-109 cells. However, during tumor formation, significant cell loss occurs due to cell death. In some estimates, it could take up to a thousand cell generations, over a ~20-year life-span of a tumor, to reach clinical detectability, which would correspond to a “theoretical” generation of ~1030 cells. These rough calculations indicate that cancers are under negative selection. The fact that they thrive implies that they “evolve”, and that their evolutionary trajectories are shaped by the pressure of the environment. Evolvability of a cancer is a function of its heterogeneity, which could be at the genetic, epigenetic, and ecological/microenvironmental levels (1). These principles were summarized in a proposed classification in which Evo (evolutionary) and Eco (ecological) indexes are used to label cancers (1). The Evo index addresses cancer cell-autonomous heterogeneity (genetic/epigenetic). The Eco index describes the ecological landscape (non-cell-autonomous) in terms of hazards to cancer survival and resources available. The reciprocal influence of Evo and Eco components is critical, as it can trigger self-sustaining loops that shape cancer evolvability (2). Among the various hallmarks of cancer (3), metabolic alterations appear unique in that they intersect with both Evo and Eco components. This is partly because altered metabolism leads to the accumulation of oncometabolites. These oncometabolites have traditionally been viewed as mediators of non-cell-autonomous alterations in the cancer microenvironment. However, they are now increasingly recognized as inducers of genetic and epigenetic modifications. Thus, oncometabolites are uniquely positioned at the crossroads of genetic, epigenetic and ecological alterations in cancer. In this review, the mechanisms of action of oncometabolites will be summarized, together with their roles in the Evo and Eco phenotypic components of cancer evolvability. An evolutionary perspective of the impact of oncometabolites on the natural history of cancer will be presented.