As metabolism reprogramming has already become a hallmark of cancer, Xu et al. illustrate that CXCL8 could mediate enhancement of aerobic glycolysis in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells and reduce intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, which subsequently promote CRC cell proliferation and invasion (Xu et al., 2017). This evidence concerns the gene CXCL8 and cancer.