Gastric cancer has been one of the most common
cancers worldwide with extensive
metastasis and high mortality.
Chemotherapy has been found as a main treatment for metastatic
gastric cancer, whereas drug resistance limits the effectiveness of
chemotherapy and leads to treatment failure.
Chemotherapy resistance in
gastric cancer has a complex and multifactorial mechanism, among which lipid metabolism plays a vital role. Increased synthesis of new
lipids or uptake of exogenous
lipids can facilitate the rapid growth of
cancer cells and
tumor formation.
Lipids form the structural basis of biofilms while serving as signal molecules and energy sources. It is noteworthy that lipid metabolism is capable of inducing drug resistance in
gastric cancer cells by reshaping the
tumor micro-environment. In this study, new mechanisms of lipid metabolism in
gastric cancer and the metabolic pathways correlated with
chemotherapy resistance are reviewed. In particular, we discuss the effects of lipid metabolism on autophagy,
biomarkers treatment and drug resistance in
gastric cancer from the perspective of lipid metabolism. In brief, new insights can be gained into the development of promising
therapies through an in-depth investigation of the mechanism of lipid metabolism reprogramming and resensitization to
chemotherapy in
gastric cancer cells, and scientific treatment can be provided by applying
lipid-key
enzyme inhibitors as
cancer chemical sensitizers in clinical settings.