Cancer Stem Cells in Solid Tumors: An Overview

It has long been appreciated that significant functional and morphologic heterogeneity can exist within the individual cells that comprise a tumor. Increasing evidence indicates that many solid tumors are organized in a hierarchical manner in which tumor growth is driven by a small subset of cancer...

Full description

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Seminars in radiation oncology 2009-04, Vol.19 (2), p.71-77
Main Authors:	O'Brien, Catherine Adell, MD, Kreso, Antonija, BSc, Dick, John E., PhD
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Animals Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Medicine Humans Mice Neoplasms - drug therapy Neoplasms - pathology Neoplasms - radiotherapy Neoplastic Stem Cells - drug effects Neoplastic Stem Cells - pathology Neoplastic Stem Cells - radiation effects Radiology
Online Access:	Get full text
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Description
Summary:	It has long been appreciated that significant functional and morphologic heterogeneity can exist within the individual cells that comprise a tumor. Increasing evidence indicates that many solid tumors are organized in a hierarchical manner in which tumor growth is driven by a small subset of cancer stem cells (CSCs) or tumor-initiating cells. Although these cells represent a small percentage of the overall tumor population, they are the only cells capable of initiating and driving tumor growth. Emerging evidence indicates that these cells are also resistant to chemotherapy and radiation therapy, which has led to much speculation and interest surrounding the potential clinical applicability of CSCs.
ISSN:	1053-4296 1532-9461