Mass Spectrometry as a Tool for Metabolomics in Cancer.

Mass spectrometry (MS) is a highly sensitive and high-throughput analytical technology that has become central to investigating the metabolic alterations in cancer cells, enabling the discovery of diagnostic biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets. This chapter provides an overview of the key principles of MS-based metabolomics, covering the entire experimental workflow-from sample collection and preparation to data acquisition, preprocessing, normalization, statistical modeling, and pathway enrichment analysis. We also discuss current limitations and outline future directions to enhance data reproducibility, metabolite annotation, and clinical translation of MS-based results.