Most tumor cells depend on glucose for energy production and cellular building blocks needed for cell proliferation. However, most of the glucose consumed is transformed in lactic acid, which is then exported out of the cell, acidifying the extracellular medium. This tumor acidity is associated with higher aggressiveness, as well as with resistance to therapy. Cancer cells are able to survive in this acidic environment due to the function of proteins that regulate their pH, which expression in increased in several types of tumors.
