Chen HL, et al. - Given the role of abnormal glucose metabolism (glucose metabolism reprogramming) in tumorigenesis and progression, researchers evaluated monocarboxylic acid transporter 4 (MCT4: an efficient lactate exporter and glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1: a key transporter in glucose metabolism) expression levels in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) specimens. Outcomes revealed a significantly higher expression of GLUT1 and MCT4 expression levels in tumors vs adjacent nontumorous hepatocytes, especially in hepatoma tumors with diameters greater than 5 cm. Patients with high GLUT1 or MCT4 expression levels displayed a poor overall survival (OS) and short time to recurrence (TTR); expression of MCT4 in tumor cells could discriminate poor prognosis in patients with early-stage HCC. In addition, metabolic indices were noted to be independently predictive of OS and TTR.