Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a proposed subgroup of cancer cells, described in blood cancers and in many solid tumors, that share some characteristics of normal stem cells. They usually have the particular capability of self-renewal. Unlike normal neural and adult stem cells, they are thought to give rise to the different types of cancer cells that make up a tumor.[1]
Stem Cells and Cancer – VIDEO
Cancer stem cells are an important research topic in the search for better cancer treatments because they are thought to contribute to tumor spread (metastasis) and to cancers coming back after treatment (recurrence). Cancer drugs can be successful in destroying a large number of tumor cells, but cancer stem cells may survive treatment and help the tumor develop resistance over time, a problem described across many cancer types, including during lung cancer treatment.[2] Cancer stem cells CSCs are always finding ways to become resistant to known pharmaceutical-based cancer therapies, including chemotherapy,radiation therapy, and cancer drugs.[3]
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Published Clinical Citations
[1] ^ Fulda, Simone. 2012. Regulation of apoptosis pathways in cancer stem cells. Cancer letters, no. 1 (March 16). doi:10.1016/j.canlet.2012.03.014. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22429999
[2] ^ Lundin, Amber, and Barbara Driscoll. 2012. Lung cancer stem cells: progress and prospects. Cancer letters, no. 1 (August 17). doi:10.1016/j.canlet.2012.08.014. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22906416
[3] ^ Shigdar, Sarah, Yong Li, Santanu Bhattacharya, Michael O’Connor, Chunwen Pu, Jia Lin, Tao Wang, et al. 2013. Inflammation and cancer stem cells. Cancer letters, no. 2 (August 11). doi:10.1016/j.canlet.2013.07.031. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23941828