The therapeutic promise of the cancer stem cell concept

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a subpopulation of tumor cells that selectively possess tumor initiation and self-renewal capacity and the ability to give rise to bulk populations of nontumorigenic cancer cell progeny through differentiation. As we discuss here, they have been prospectively identified in several human malignancies, and their relative abundance in clinical cancer specimens has been correlated with malignant disease progression in human patients. Furthermore, recent findings suggest that clinical cancer progression driven by CSCs may contribute to the failure of existing therapies to consistently eradicate malignant tumors. Therefore, CSC-directed therapeutic approaches might represent…

• AH
  American Heart Association
• BA
  Brigham and Women's Hospital
• CS
  China Scholarship Council
• NI
  National Institutes of Health

  Awards: 1RO1CA113796, KO8NS051349, R01CA138231
• NC
  National Cancer Institute

  Award: R01CA138231
• NI
  National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke