Lipid Metabolism and Resistance to Anticancer Treatment

Simple Summary Cancer cells directly control nutrient uptake and utilization in a different manner from that of normal cells. These metabolic changes drive growth, proliferation of cancer cells as well as their ability to develop resistance to traditional therapies. We review published studies with pre-clinical models, showing the essential roles of lipid metabolism in anticancer drug resistance. We also discuss how changes in cellular lipid metabolism contribute to the acquisition of drug resistance and the new therapeutic opportunities to target lipid metabolism for treating drug resistant cancers. Metabolic reprogramming is crucial to respond to cancer cell requirements during tumor development. In the last decade, metabolic alterations have been shown to modulate cancer cells' sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents including conventional and targeted therapies. Recently, it became apparent that changes in lipid metabolism represent important mediators of resistance to anticancer agents. In this review, we highlight changes in lipid metabolism associated with therapy resistance, their significance and how dysregulated lipid metabolism could be exploited to overcome anticancer drug resistance.