A variety of
cancer cells exhibit dysregulated lipid metabolism, characterized by excessive intracellular
lipid accumulation, and
clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most typical disease with these characteristics. As the most common
malignancy of all
renal cell carcinomas (RCCs), ccRCC is typically characterized by a large accumulation of
lipids and
glycogen in the cytoplasm and a nucleus that is squeezed by the accumulated lipid droplets and localized to the marginal areas within the cytoplasm. This
lipid accumulation has been found to be critically involved in the maintenance of malignant features observed in various
cancers. Firstly, it maintains the persistent proliferative and
metastasis properties of
cancer cells. Secondly, it acts as a
buffer against lipid peroxidation, preventing lipid peroxidation-induced ferroptosis. Moreover,
lipids can diminish the sensitivity of
cancer cells to
radiotherapy. As ccRCC is a type of
cancer with high
lipid synthesis, targeting
lipid synthesis-related genes in
cancer cells may be a promising therapeutic modality for single treatment or in combination with
radiotherapy,
chemotherapy, and
immunotherapy. This may revolutionize the choice of treatment modality for ccRCC patients. In this review, we concentrate on the current status and progress of research on
lipid biosynthesis in ccRCC and the potential applications of targeting
lipid synthesis to treat ccRCC. At last, we propose perspective and future research directions for targeting inhibition of
lipid biosynthesis in combination with conventional therapeutic approaches for the treatment of ccRCC, which will help to evolve the therapeutic model.