The central role of mitochondria in the relationship between dietary lipids and cancer progression Varela López, Alfonso Vera Ramírez, Laura Giampieri, Francesca Navarro Hortal, María Dolores Forbes Hernández, Tamara Yuliett Battino, Maurizio Quiles Morales, José Luis Apoptosis Autophagy Bioenergetics Evidence demonstrates the importance of lipid metabolism and signaling in cancer cell biology. De novo lipogenesis is an important source of lipids for cancer cells, but exogenous lipid uptake remains essential for many cancer cells. Dietary lipids can modify lipids present in tumor microenvironment affecting cancer cell metabolism. Clinical trials have shown that diets rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) can negatively affect tumor growth. However, certain n-6 PUFAs can also contribute to cancer progression. Identifying the molecular mechanisms through which lipids affect cancer progression will provide an opportunity for focused dietary interventions that could translate into the development of personalized diets for cancer control. However, the effective mechanisms of action of PUFAs have not been fully clarified yet. Mitochondria controls ATP generation, redox homeostasis, metabolic signaling, apoptotic pathways and many aspects of autophagy, and it has been recognized to play a key role in cancer. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current evidence linking dietary lipids effects on mitochondrial aspects with consequences for cancer progression and the molecular mechanisms that underlie this association. 2026-02-16T12:16:01Z 2026-02-16T12:16:01Z 2021 journal article Published version: Alfonso Varela-López et al. Seminars in Cancer Biology, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semcancer.2021.01.001 https://hdl.handle.net/10481/111041 10.1016/j.semcancer.2021.01.001 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ open access Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internacional Elsevier