The double face of cold in cancer

In a recent paper published in Nature, multiple evidence is provided that cold exposure causes tumor growth restriction in mice, by activating brown adipose tissue metabolism and by subsequent cancer cells’ glucose starvation. The paper shows a tumor growth inhibition by 80% for multiple cancer types in mice exposed to 4 °C in comparison with mice exposed to 30 °C. These results are very promising since cost effective protocols could be designed for future clinical trials, for several cancer forms. In this commentary, an extensive analysis is performed on the potential of these results. Some previous published studies are discussed as well, showing differences in tumor growth for mice housed in different external temperatures.