Described herein are pharmaceutical compositions including a sugar or mannose analog (e.g., 2-DG) and an inhibitor of at least one of PERK and GCN2 (e.g., an inhibitor of PERK and an inhibitor of GCN2) for treating cancer, and methods of treating cancer in a subject involving administration of these pharmaceutical compositions. Pharmaceutical compositions [or inducing death of cancer cells include a therapeutically effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition including: a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, a sugar analog in an amount effective for inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, and an inhibitor of at least one of: PERK and GCN2 in an amount effective for blocking phosphorylation of eif2-1″t in the cancer cells, wherein the combined amounts of the sugar analog and the inhibitor of at least one of: PERK and GCN2 are sufficient for inducing death of the cancer cells.
