New Opportunities and Challenges to Defeat Cancer Stem Cells.

Abstract

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a subpopulation of cancer cells that are capable of self-renewal, proliferation, differentiation, plastic adaptation, and immune regulation, thereby mediating tumorigenesis, metastasis, and therapy resistance. CSCs are associated with cancer progression and clinical outcome in cancer patients. Successful targeting of CSCs will therefore be necessary to eradicate and cure cancer. Functional regulators of stem cell (stemness) signaling pathways in human cancers have brought new opportunities to target CSCs and reframe cancer-targeting strategies in clinical settings. However, challenges remain due to a lack of complete understanding of CSC plasticity/heterogeneity and the limited efficacy of individual stemness inhibitors in cancer treatment. In this article we review CSC signaling pathways and the current state of CSC-targeting therapeutics in combinatory treatments in clinical trials.

• Authors: Erika K Ramos, Andrew D Hoffmann, Stanton L Gerson, Huiping Liu
• Journal: Trends in cancer (Trends Cancer) Vol. 3 Issue 11 Pg. 780-796 (11 2017) ISSN: 2405-8025 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 29120754 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S., Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Topics

• Carcinogenesis (genetics)
• Cell Differentiation (genetics)
• Drug Resistance, Neoplasm (genetics)
• Humans
• Neoplasms (genetics, pathology)
• Neoplastic Stem Cells (pathology)
• Signal Transduction (genetics)