Meeting organizers: from the left, Alejo Efeyan, Guadalupe Sabio, Mª Carmen F. Agüera and Nabil Djouder. / Christian Esposito. Madmovies. CNIO
The ‘CNIO-CaixaResearch Frontier Meeting’ Metabolism and Cancer: Insights from Obesity and Beyond brings together around 150 researchers from Europe and the United States at CNIO.
“The tumour interacts with other organs through the metabolism,” say the organisers. They will discuss adipose tissue, exercise, how both modulate the immune system, and whether acting on metabolism improves the response to cancer.
The issues addressed include: why obesity increases the risk of cancer; how to replicate the effects of dietary restriction with drugs; and which clinical trials are actually studying the impact of diet on cancer.
There is growing evidence that the patient’s metabolism—the biochemical processes occurring in their cells to convert nutrients into energy—is essential in the onset and development of cancer. In cancer cells, the chemical reactions of the metabolism are altered.
Metabolism is linked to obesity, inflammation, the immune system and lifestyle factors such as diet and physical exercise. A deeper understanding of the relationship between metabolism and cancer could lead to treatment being complemented by specific diets, the design of new therapies, or the identification of patients at higher risk.
This week at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), about twenty experts from leading groups in Europe and the United States are reviewing the state-of-the-art knowledge in this field at a conference attended by around 150 researchers.
“The tumour is no longer seen as an isolated phenomenon; it interacts with other organs through the metabolism,” the organisers from CNIO say. “Our approach is comprehensive: we will discuss adipose tissue, exercise, the modulation of the immune system, how organs communicate with one another during cancer progression, and whether cutting off that communication could be a therapeutic strategy.”
The CNIO-CaixaResearch Frontier Meeting ‘Metabolism and Cancer: Insights from Obesity and Beyond’, which begins today, will address topics closely related to current clinical practice.
Obesity, exercise and cancer
Yes, obesity increases the risk of developing cancer. But why? Which molecular mechanisms are involved? Which nutrients?
Paul Cohen (The Rockefeller University, USA) will discuss the role of adipose (fat) tissue in cancer. Lydia Lynch (Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and Princeton University, USA) will explain how diet, the timing of meals, exercise and metabolic drugs such as GLP-1 agonists – including semaglutide, the main active ingredient in Ozempic – can influence the immune response to cancer.
CNIO researcher and conference co-organiser Guadalupe Sabio is also investigating why and how obesity and dysfunctional adipose tissue can promote tumour growth. She is leading a major European project to unravel how fat communicates with the rest of our body, thereby influencing our health.
“Adipose tissue is not just a fat store; it is also an endocrine and inflammatory organ that influences the behaviour of tumour cells and the immune system,” explains Sabio. “Our studies could help identify risk biomarkers and new preventive strategies in patients with obesity.”
- Exercise as medicine
Sabio is also researching the role of physical exercise in liver cancer at CNIO. “We know that obesity, metabolic liver disease and chronic inflammation increase the risk of liver cancer, which is why it is important to study how exercise can influence this.”
In her view, “exercise is not just a general health recommendation, but an intervention capable of modulating metabolic pathways, reducing inflammation, improving liver function and possibly altering the tumour microenvironment”.
- Dietary restriction and liver cancer
Alejo Efeyan, head of the Metabolism and Cell Signalling Group at CNIO and co-organiser of the conference, is studying the benefits of dietary restriction in preventing, among at-risk populations, and treating the most common type of liver cancer.
Hepatocellular carcinoma is closely linked to body weight, partly because chronic nutrient overload causes metabolic damage and liver cell dysfunction. Several studies suggest that various dietary restriction regimens – supervised by experts – may help prevent and treat this cancer. However, it is not yet fully understood why this is the case, nor which dietary regimen is best in terms of both adherence and effectiveness.
Efeyan aims to decipher the molecular and metabolic factors responsible for the benefits of dietary restriction, to pave the way for drugs that mimic its effects.
- Clinical trials on the influence of diet in cancer treatment
According to Miguel Ángel Quintela, head of CNIO’s Breast Cancer Clinical Research Unit and co-organiser of the conference, “there is already evidence that the effectiveness of cancer therapies can be influenced by factors such as exercise, emotional state or diet”. However, there are still few clinical trials studying this in patients.
Quintela is leading one of these trials, LUMINOVA, which was launched recently. It will be conducted at the 12 de Octubre Hospital and will recruit patients with breast or gynaecological tumours who are being treated with a state-of-the-art therapy that administers small doses of concentrated chemotherapy.
- Metabolism and liver fibrosis
Metabolism and liver fibrosis CNIO researcher and co-organiser Nabil Djouder is the author of a review on the use of diet in cancer treatments. He explained that “diets can target cancer metabolism directly, by depriving the tumour of the nutrients it needs, or they can affect other key elements in cancer development, such as growth signalling, oxidative stress or the patient’s immunity”.
At the conference, he will present one of his latest findings, published in Nature Metabolism, which explains how the absence of a protein key to the structure of the bile ducts promotes the development of liver fibrosis. Fibrosis is a decisive step in the progression towards cirrhosis and liver cancer.
- Inflammation, loss of appetite, cachexia
Eileen White (Rutgers Cancer Institute and Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, USA) will discuss how the tumour alters the patient’s metabolism to the point of inducing muscle and fat loss. Marcus D. Gonçalves (NYU Langone Health, USA) will focus on tumour inflammation and loss of appetite, two key aspects for improving quality of life and treatment tolerance.
There will also be a discussion on how tumours use metabolism to grow, spread and evade the immune system. Karen Vousden, from the Francis Crick Institute (UK), will discuss how the metabolic dialogue between the tumour and the body can promote tumour progression.
- Metastasis and anti-tumour immunity
Sarah-Maria Fendt (VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology, Netherlands) will explain how tumour cells reprogramme their metabolism to form metastases. Kivanç Birsoy (The Rockefeller University, USA) will discuss lipid metabolism and immune evasion. Ilaria Elia (KU Leuven) will analyse how tumour cells and T lymphocytes compete metabolically in metastatic melanoma.
The conference will also focus on specific tumours. Mathias Heikenwälder (German Cancer Research Center, Germany) will address the immunometabolic microenvironment of liver cancer and new therapeutic combinations. Celeste Simon (University of Pennsylvania, USA) will discuss how to exploit metabolic vulnerabilities in kidney cancer. Arkaitz Carracedo, from CIC bioGUNE, will discuss the influence of cellular and systemic metabolism on the progression of prostate cancer.
Organising Committee
Representing CNIO on the organising committee are: Nabil Djouder, from the Growth Factors, Nutrients and Cancer Group; Alejo Efeyan, from the Metabolism and Cell Signalling Group; Guadalupe Sabio, from the Metabolic Interactions Group; and Miguel Quintela, director of the CNIO Clinical Research Programme.
Other organisers include Roger Davis, from the UMass Chan Medical School in Massachusetts, USA; and Mª Carmen Fernández Agüera, Cell Metabolism, Cell Press, Seville.
Programme: https://apps.cnio.es/eventos/descargas/CFM/08052392_289,52_pdf3.pdf
The CNIO-CaixaResearch Frontiers Meetings are highly prestigious international conferences on cutting-edge aspects of cancer research. At these events, twenty guest speakers from around the world present their most recent findings. A further hundred experts, selected for the significance of their contributions, also participate through poster presentations or short talks.
About the National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO)
The National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) is a public research centre under the Department of Science, Innovation and Universities. It is the largest cancer research centre in Spain and one of the most important in Europe. It includes around five hundred scientists, along with support staff, who are working to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.