Roles of Vitamins in Cancer Metabolism: From Biochemical Pathways to Clinical Implications

Vitamins, as essential micronutrients involved in a wide range of biochemical processes, have long been recognized for their potential roles in cancer biology. Accumulating evidence indicates that vitamins and their metabolites are not merely passive cofactors but active regulators of key metabolic pathways frequently dysregulated in cancer, including one-carbon metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, redox homeostasis, epigenetic modification, and immune cell function. For instance, folate and B-group vitamins serve as critical donors in nucleotide synthesis and DNA methylation; vitamin D modulates proliferation and differentiation signaling; vitamin C influences epigenetic reprogramming through TET-mediated demethylation; and vitamins A and E participate in the regulation of oxidative stress and cellular differentiation.Several epidemiological studies have linked vitamin status to cancer risk and outcomes, but the precise molecular mechanisms underlying these associations — which may harbor numerous potential therapeutic targets — remain incompletely understood.This Research Topic, “Roles of Vitamins in Cancer Metabolism: From Biochemical Pathways to Clinical Implications,” aims to provide a comprehensive platform for original research and reviews investigating how vitamins and their derivatives interact with cancer metabolic reprogramming at the molecular, cellular, and systemic levels. The primary objectives are to clarify the mechanistic basis by which specific vitamins influence tumor initiation, metabolic adaptation, and progression, and to evaluate the translational potential of vitamin-based interventions — whether as chemopreventive agents, adjuncts to standard therapy, or modulators of treatment-related toxicity. By bridging nutritional science, cancer metabolism, immunology, and clinical oncology, this Research Topic seeks to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and move beyond observational associations toward mechanistically grounded, clinically actionable insights.We welcome original research articles, reviews, mini reviews, systematic reviews, and perspectives that address, but are not limited to, the following themes:o Mechanistic roles of specific vitamins (e.g., A, B-group, C, D, E, K) in regulating cancer cell metabolism, including glycolysis, the TCA cycle, lipid synthesis, amino acid metabolism, and one-carbon metabolismo Vitamin-mediated epigenetic regulation in cancer: DNA methylation, histone modification, and chromatin remodelingo Impact of vitamin status and supplementation on redox balance, oxidative stress, and ferroptosis in tumor cellso Roles of vitamins in modulating immune cell metabolism and antitumor immunity within the tumor microenvironmento Vitamin D signaling and its influence on cancer cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and metabolic reprogrammingo Epidemiological and clinical evidence linking vitamin intake, circulating vitamin levels, and cancer risk, progression, or survival outcomeso Vitamins as adjuncts to chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy: synergistic effects, sensitization, and toxicity modulationo Dual roles of vitamins in cancer biology: pro-tumorigenic versus anti-tumorigenic effects under different metabolic contexts and doseso Genetic and metabolic determinants of individual variability in vitamin metabolism and cancer susceptibility (e.g., polymorphisms in vitamin transport and metabolism genes)o Preclinical and clinical studies evaluating vitamin-based or vitamin-derived compounds as novel anticancer agentso Computational, multi-omics, and systems biology approaches to map vitamin-cancer metabolic networksPlease note: Manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics, computational analysis, or predictions of public databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent clinical or patient cohort, or biological validation in vitro or in vivo, which are not based on public databases) are not suitable for publication in this journal. Topic editors: Eduardo López-Urrutia, Carlos Pérez-Plasencia, Chan-Yen Kuo Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/77526/roles-of-vitamins-in-cancer-metabolism-from-biochemical-pathways-to-clinical-implications