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Here, we present data to show that (1) cancer cells uptake large amounts of glucose to produce sufficient levels of ions to keep the cytosolic pH stable, hence keeping the cells viable; (2)\n                    <jats:italic>de novo<\/jats:italic>\n                    nucleotide biosynthesis represents the predominant acidifying pathway and gets on average the largest allocation of glucose metabolic flux among the 19 cancer types investigated; and (3) although the ions produced by nucleotide biosynthesis and other acidifiers keep the cells alive, the synthesized nucleotides drive cancerous cell proliferation. Taken together, it is not that cancerous cell division requires high levels of glucose imports, instead it is the life\u2010saving nucleotide syntheses that drive cell division. Understanding this causal relationship correctly is significant since it explains why cancers depend so heavily on glucose but not on other nutrients. More importantly, this realization may lead to fundamentally novel and more effective ways to treat cancer.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1002\/qub2.70025","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,6]],"date-time":"2025-12-06T05:51:03Z","timestamp":1765000263000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["On why cancer cells require a great amount of glucose"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Xuechen","family":"Mu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"SUSTech Homeostatic Medicine Institute School of Medicine Southern University of Science and Technology  Shenzhen Guangdong China"},{"name":"Department of Human Cell Biology and Genetics SUSTech Homeostatic Medicine Institute School of Medicine Southern University of Science and Technology  Shenzhen Guangdong China"},{"name":"Key University Laboratory of Metabolism and Health of Guangdong Southern University 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