PKM and hepatocellular carcinoma: Several rate-limiting enzymes in the glycolysis pathway, such as hexokinase 2, phosphofructokinase 1, and pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), play essential roles in the regulation of aerobic glycolysis in HCC and respond to changes in signaling pathways such as c-Myc, HIF-1α, and PI3K/Akt14,15.