EGF and cancer: Aerobic glycolysis, which contributes to tumor growth and metastasis, is regulated by a complex interplay of growth factors, protein kinases and transcription factors.4–8 Growth factors, including epidermal growth factor (EGF) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1),9,10 key players of cancer cell proliferation and metastasis, can activate extracellular signal–regulated protein kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2).