Brain tumor stem cells: view from cell proliferation

In this article, the authors summarized the evidence of the presence of TSCs in human brain tumors and emphasized the significance of the proliferative status of TSCs. By analyzing the data, the authors found that CD133+ cell-initiated glioblastomas have a higher proliferation index when compared to CD133− cells-induced glioblastomas. Furthermore, the relationship and difference of cell proliferation between TSCs and normal NSCs were reviewed. Finally, the preliminary evidence that TSCs in malignant brain tumors have more proliferative capacity than stem/progenitor cells in benign brain tumors was discussed.