In a recent study published in Nature, Liu and co-workers show that high lactate production by tumor cells promotes premature mitotic escape and further cell proliferation by facilitating the binding of Ubiquitin Conjugating Enzyme E2 C (UBE2C) to the anaphase promoting complex (APC/C).1 This is important as it suggests cancer metabolism not only to be a consequence of tumor growth, but also one of its drivers. The gene discussed is UBE2C; the disease is neoplasm.