Oncology

The study of cancer stem cells (CSCs) has shown that the tumors are driven by a subpopulation of self-renewable CSCs that retain the ability to generate diverse populations of differentiated cells that are part of the tumors. The characterization of CSCs has indicated that CSCs are remarkably resistant to conventional radio- and chemotherapy. Clinically, the remaining CSC populations are responsible for metastasis and recurrence in cancer patients, which can lead to the disease becoming chronic and incurable. Therefore, the elimination of CSCs is an important goal of cancer treatments. In addition, CSCs are subject to strong regulation by the surrounding microenvironment that surrounds the tumor, and equally affects the tumor response. We have suggested how different alternative molecular mechanisms are defective in CSC, and how these ultimately influence the clinical and therapeutic response.