The emerging role of fatty acid binding protein 5 (FABP5) in cancers

•Fatty acid binding protein 5 (FABP5) is a key regulator of cell metabolism and growth that is overexpressed in cancers.•FABP5 facilitates the activation of transcriptional factors that increase proteins key in cancer progression.•FABP5 overexpression in tumours correlates with patient prognosis across many cancers.•Inhibition of FABP5 reduces tumour growth and metastasis and may represent a novel therapeutic strategy.