Lipid metabolism plays a pivotal role in membrane biogenesis, synthesis of lipid second messengers and membrane repair processes. Recently, disturbances in a balance between synthesis and degradation of lipids have been ascribed to participate at early stages of cancer development. Therefore, in this article the following topics are discussed: relationship between membrane damage and cancerogenesis, characteristics of changes of membrane structure and lipid metabolism in cancer cells, a role of polyunsaturated fatty acids and lipid microdomains in multidrug resistance, and interactions of some anti-cancer drugs with membrane lipids. Taken together, these observations suggest that at early stages of cancer development crucial changes in lipid metabolism occur, that lead to remodelling of membrane chemical composition, disturbances of signal transduction, and changes of electric and structural properties of cell membranes.