The functional requirement of PFKFB4 for tumor growth then was published in 2010 when researchers demonstrated that selective inhibition of PFKFB4 with siRNA suppressed the growth of human lung adenocarcinoma xenografts in athymic mice (U.S. Patent #8,283,332; PFKFB4 Inhibitors and Methods of Using the Same). Here, PFKFB4 is linked to lung adenocarcinoma.