CENPU and neoplasm: This review presents an overview of recent progress in glycolysis research in gastric cancer, focusing on essential regulators such as CENPU, CD73, SALL4, and MAOA, non-coding RNAs (e.g., circRNAs, lncRNAs, and miRNAs), and exosome-mediated metabolic reprogramming driven by tumor-associated macrophages.