Internal environment in cancer patients and proposal that carcinogenesis is adaptive response of glycolysis to overcome adverse internal conditions

Abstract

In a series of our recent studies, stress was found to induce simultaneously hypothermia and hyperglycemia. These conditions are beneficial to obtain prompt force which depends on the glycolysis pathway and to escape emergency. Since we have noticed that such conditions resemble the internal environment seen in some cancer patients, it was investigated whe- ther such conditions were accompanied with other patients. We selected patients with early and advanced cancer. Body temperature and other parameters including blood gas contents were examined. A difference was seen in body temperature, namely, many patients showed hypothermia, irrespective of cancer stages. Fur- ther characterization of other parameters show- ed that hypothermia and hyperglycemia existed in many patients. They had immunosuppressive state and anemia. Blood gas analysis showed that oxygen contents were low and carbon dioxide contents were high in patients. These results suggest a possibility that the internal environment seen in patients is responsible to induce onset of disease and to maintain their cell growth, because cancer cells have an energy system of predominant glycolysis. Although hypothermia, hypoxia and hyperglycemia are important to activate the glycolysis pathway and to escape from emergency, such responses suppress the mitochondrial pathway for long span and may result in carcinogenesis.