Cancer Stem Cells
Despite current advances in cancer therapy, tumor recurrence and metastases continue to be clinical challenges. A potential new approach to dealing with this is the targeting of a subset of the tumor cell population known as CSC's or Cancer Stem Cells (Stem Cells) .
CSC's are highly tumorigenic, have high metastatic potential and are resistant to conventional cancer therapies.
Cancer Stem Cells May Help Explain Tumor Relapse
In the clonal evolution model, all cells within a malignant tumor have similar tumorigenic activity. In contrast, only a subset of tumor cells, CSCs, have the ability to initiate the tumor. This may help explain why early tumor shrinkage is often poorly predicted for overall survival. While conventional therapies kill most Non-Trunk Cancer Cells resulting in tumor shrinkage, CSCs may remain viable and later restore the tumor, leading to relapse.
References
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