Impact of immunometabolism on cancer metastasis: A focus on T cells and macrophages

Despite improved treatment options, cancer remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with 90% of this mortality correlated to the development of metastasis. Since metastasis has such an impact on treatment success, disease outcome, and global health, it is important to understand the different steps and factors playing key roles in this process, how these factors relate to immune cell function and how we can target metabolic processes at different steps of metastasis in order to improve cancer treatment and patient prognosis. Recent insights in immunometabolism direct to promising therapeutic targets for cancer treatment, however, the specific contribution of metabolism on antitumor immunity in different metastatic niches warrant further investigation. Here, we provide an overview of what is so far known in the field of immunometabolism at different steps of the metastatic cascade, and what may represent the next steps forward. Focusing on metabolic checkpoints in order to translate these findings from in vitro and mouse studies to the clinic has the potential to revolutionize cancer immunotherapy and greatly improve patient prognosis.