Abstract 5476: Inhibiting lactate transporters MCT-1 and MCT-4 target hypoxic HNSCC cells and sensitize them to metformin

Abstract Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is treated primarily through a combination of surgery and radiation therapy. The problem of radioresistance, however, persists and requires new approaches to overcome it. Tumor hypoxia has been shown to be a driver of radioresistance, thereby prompting the targeting of the hypoxic niche, known to be highly glycolytic. Two key components of the hypoxic metabolic profile are lactate transporters MCT-1 and MCT-4, which sustain hypoxia-driven lactate production in cells. We hypothesize that inhibition of MCT-1 and MCT-4 will selectively target the growth of hypoxic tumor cells and potentially exert a synergistic effect with the antidiabetic…