Warburg hypothesis

The Warburg hypothesis (/ˈvɑːrbʊərɡ/, [ˈvaːɐ̯bʊʁk]), sometimes known as the Warburg theory of cancer, postulates that the driver of carcinogenesis (cancer formation) is insufficient cellular respiration caused by insult (damage) to mitochondria. The Warburg effect, on the other hand, describes the observation that cancer cells, and many cells grown in vitro, exhibit glucose fermentation even when enough oxygen is present to properly respire. In other words, instead of fully respiring in the presence of adequate oxygen, cancer cells ferment. The Warburg hypothesis is that the Warburg effect is the root cause of cancer.