Tumour cells, in particular, rely on aerobic glycolysis, which can be facilitated by PDK enzymes.42 For this reason, PDK4 may represent a promising therapeutic target in cancer medicine.31 Down-regulation of PDK4, for instance, increases apoptosis in human colon cancer cells.43 In fact, and in sharp contrast with its significance in liver tissue, we found that tumoural PDK4 expression was rather associated with impaired prognosis of patients suffering metastasised CRC. This evidence concerns the gene PDK4 and cancer.