The cancer stem-cell signaling network and resistance to therapy

• Specific CSC markers should be defined to specifically annihilate CSCs.
• Dedifferentiation (gain of stem properties), is a common process in malignant tumors.
• Resistance to therapy caused by CSCs is an urgent problem to be solved in oncology.

The study of cancer stem cells (CSCs) has shown that tumors are driven by a subpopulation of self-renewing CSCs that retain the capacity to engender the various differentiated cell populations that form tumors. The characterization of CSCs has indicated that CSCs are remarkably resistant to conventional radio- and chemo-therapy. Clinically, the remaining populations of CSC are responsible for metastasis and recurrence in patients with cancer, which can lead to the disease becoming chronic and incurable. Therefore, the elimination of CSCs is an important goal of cancer treatments. Furthermore, CSCs are subject to strong regulation by the surrounding microenvironment, which also impacts tumor responses. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms by which pathways that are defective in CSCs influence ultimately therapeutic and clinical outcomes.

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