Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2013 Apr;15(4):253-8.
doi: 10.1007/s12094-012-0927-7. Epub 2012 Aug 28.

Dynamic regulation of cancer stem cells and clinical challenges

Chao Ni  1 , Jian Huang
Affiliations
Review

Dynamic regulation of cancer stem cells and clinical challenges

Chao Ni et al. Clin Transl Oncol. 2013 Apr.

Abstract

A small population of cancer cells referred to as cancer stem cells (CSCs) have received particular attention, as they have been revealed to acquire stem cell-like properties and become the main cause of tumor propagation, metastasis and drug resistance. The CSC theory of tumor formation was believed to follow the hierarchical model initially, and therefore many CSC-targeted therapy methods were expected to cure cancer by eradicating CSCs. However, subsequent CSC research has revealed that rather than a distinct entity, the CSC is a dynamic status that can be continually dedifferentiated from progenitor or differentiated cancer cells. Elucidation of this bidirectional transition mechanism would help perfect the CSC theory and be of great value in the development of more effective anti-cancer drugs. Here, we reviewed the mechanisms of reciprocal conversion between non-CSCs and CSCs. Moreover, several approaches of target CSCs and non-CSCs together with unbiased eradication of all cancer cells are also discussed.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Nat Genet. 2009 Jul;41(7):843-8 - PubMed
    1. J Biomed Sci. 2011 Jan 18;18:6 - PubMed
    1. Gastroenterology. 2010 Jun;138(6):2151-62 - PubMed
    1. Cell Cycle. 2008 Feb 1;7(3):309-13 - PubMed
    1. Nature. 2008 Jun 19;453(7198):1072-8 - PubMed

MeSH terms

Substances

LinkOut - more resources