INS and cancer: Emerging evidence suggests that HER2 influences the metabolic phenotype of cancer cells by regulating vital glycolytic enzymes, insulin signaling pathways, and beta-cell function, thereby enhancing glucose uptake and metabolism to support cancer cell survival and growth, even under challenging conditions like hypoxia (Wolpin et al., 2013; Yuan et al., 2023; Bollig-Fischer et al., 2011).