Expression of Glucose Transporters in Cancers

It has been known for 80 years that cancer cell growth in an energy-related process supported by an increased glucose metabolism. This phenomenon suggests a need for a corresponding increased uptake of glucose across the plasma membrane through an enhancement in the glucose transporter proteins, SGLT proteins as well as GLUT proteins. The results of many studies have demonstrated that the expression of glucose transporters, especially GLUT1, is increased in a variety of malignancies. GLUT1 overexpression has been found to be associated with tumor progression. It was found that GLUT1 overexpression is associated with poor overall survival in various malignant tumors.