New Opportunities and Challenges to Defeat Cancer Stem Cells

Erika K Ramos; Andrew D Hoffmann; Stanton L Gerson; Huiping Liu

doi:10.1016/j.trecan.2017.08.007

New Opportunities and Challenges to Defeat Cancer Stem Cells

Trends Cancer. 2017 Nov;3(11):780-796. doi: 10.1016/j.trecan.2017.08.007. Epub 2017 Sep 21.

Authors

Erika K Ramos¹, Andrew D Hoffmann², Stanton L Gerson³, Huiping Liu⁴

Affiliations

¹ Driskill Graduate Program, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA; Department Pharmacology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA; These authors equally contributed to the manuscript preparation.
² Department Pharmacology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA; These authors equally contributed to the manuscript preparation.
³ The Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cleveland, OH, USA; The National Center for Regenerative Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA; Department of Medicine, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA; Seidman Cancer Center, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA. Electronic address: slg5@case.edu.
⁴ Department Pharmacology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA; The Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cleveland, OH, USA; The National Center for Regenerative Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA. Electronic address: huiping.liu@northwestern.edu.

Abstract

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a subpopulation of cancer cells that are capable of self-renewal, proliferation, differentiation, plastic adaptation, and immune regulation, thereby mediating tumorigenesis, metastasis, and therapy resistance. CSCs are associated with cancer progression and clinical outcome in cancer patients. Successful targeting of CSCs will therefore be necessary to eradicate and cure cancer. Functional regulators of stem cell (stemness) signaling pathways in human cancers have brought new opportunities to target CSCs and reframe cancer-targeting strategies in clinical settings. However, challenges remain due to a lack of complete understanding of CSC plasticity/heterogeneity and the limited efficacy of individual stemness inhibitors in cancer treatment. In this article we review CSC signaling pathways and the current state of CSC-targeting therapeutics in combinatory treatments in clinical trials.

Keywords: cancer stem cells; immune evasion; targeted therapy.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Carcinogenesis / genetics*
Cell Differentiation / genetics
Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / genetics
Humans
Neoplasms / genetics*
Neoplasms / pathology
Neoplastic Stem Cells / pathology*
Signal Transduction / genetics

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

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