Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a subpopulation of tumor cells that have strong self-renewal capabilities and may contribute to the failure of conventional cancer therapies. Hence, therapeutics homing in on CSCs represent a novel and promising approach that may eradicate malignant tumors. However, the lack of information on validated targets of CSCs has greatly hindered the development of CSC-dire...

BACKGROUND Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are resistant to radiotherapy and are responsible for tumor recurrence of various malignant tumors, including prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS In order to define the radioresistance mechanism of prostate CSCs, their proliferative activity, cell cycle distribution, expression of CD133 stem cell marker, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and DNA ...

Since their first discovery, investigations of colorectal cancer stem cells (CSCs) have revealed some unexpected properties, including a high degree of heterogeneity and plasticity. By exploiting a combination of genetic, epigenetic, and microenvironmental factors, colorectal CSCs metastasize, resist chemotherapy, and continually adapt to a changing microenvironment, representing a formidable c...

The mainstay of treatment for ovarian cancer is platinum-based cytotoxic chemotherapy. However, therapeutic resistance and recurrence is a common eventuality for nearly all ovarian cancer patients, resulting in poor median survival. Recurrence is postulated to be driven by a population of self-renewing, therapeutically resistant cancer stem cells (CSCs). A current limitation in CSC studies is t...

Many theories have been proposed to explain the origins of cancer. Currently, evidences show that not every tumor cell is capable of initiating a tumor. Only a small part of the cancer cells, called cancer stem cells (CSCs), can generate a tumor identical to the original one, when removed from human tumors and transplanted into immunosuppressed mice. The name given to these cells comes from the...

The cancer stem cell (CSC) hypothesis proposes that CSCs are the root of cancer. CSC-targeted therapies may prevent cancer relapse and provide more effective treatment. The expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase 1, as assessed by the Aldefluor assay, has been recognized as a marker of CSCs in breast cancer. Inhibitors of DNA-binding proteins (IDs) have an important role in stem cell differentiati...

Breast cancer remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in women mainly because of the propensity of primary breast tumors to metastasize. Growing experimental evidence suggests that cancer stem cells (CSCs) may contribute to tumor progression and metastasis spread. However, despite the tremendous clinical potential of such cells and their possible therapeutic management, the real natu...

The investigation and study of cancer stem cells (CSCs) have received enormous attention over the past 5 to 10 years but remain topics of considerable controversy. Opinions about the validity of the CSC hypothesis, the biological properties of CSCs, and the relevance of CSCs to cancer therapy differ widely. In the following commentary, we discuss the nature of the debate, the parameters by whic...

Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths among women and the most common type of gynecologic malignancy. Despite advances in surgery and chemotherapy, the survival rate of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer is still low. For a whole decade, that situation has not improved. Most ovarian cancer patients relapse and become drug-resistant. Increasing evidence has suggested th...

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) can invade and metastasize by epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). However, how they escape immune surveillance is unclear. B7H1 is crucial negative co-stimulatory molecule but little information about whether it works in CSCs. Therefore, we determined the expression of B7H1 and EMT-associated markers in colorectal cancer stem-like cells to investigate a possible...