TY - JOUR
T1 - New hope for cancer treatment
T2 - Exploring the distinction between normal adult stem cells and cancer stem cells
AU - Zhao, Robert Chunhua
AU - Zhu, Ya Shu
AU - Shi, Yufang
PY - 2008/7/1
Y1 - 2008/7/1
N2 - For decades, intensive studies have attempted to identify the mechanisms underlying malignant tumor growth. Despite significant progress, most therapeutic approaches fail to eliminate all tumor cells. The remaining tumor cells often result in recurrence and metastasis. Recently, the idea of a cancer stem cell was proposed to explain of the origin of cancer cells. According to this hypothesis, a small fraction of tumor cells have the capacity for self-renewal, with unlimited slow proliferation potential. They are often resistant to chemotherapy and radiation and thus are responsible for continuously supplying new cancer cells, which themselves may have a limited life span. In recent years, accumulating experimental evidence supports this hypothesis and provides new possibilities to conquer cancer. This review will focus on the distinction between normal adult stem cells and cancer stem cells and identifies possible key targets for effective therapies of cancer.
AB - For decades, intensive studies have attempted to identify the mechanisms underlying malignant tumor growth. Despite significant progress, most therapeutic approaches fail to eliminate all tumor cells. The remaining tumor cells often result in recurrence and metastasis. Recently, the idea of a cancer stem cell was proposed to explain of the origin of cancer cells. According to this hypothesis, a small fraction of tumor cells have the capacity for self-renewal, with unlimited slow proliferation potential. They are often resistant to chemotherapy and radiation and thus are responsible for continuously supplying new cancer cells, which themselves may have a limited life span. In recent years, accumulating experimental evidence supports this hypothesis and provides new possibilities to conquer cancer. This review will focus on the distinction between normal adult stem cells and cancer stem cells and identifies possible key targets for effective therapies of cancer.
KW - Cancer stem cell
KW - Cancer treatment
KW - Stem cell
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=46349087802&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2008.04.008
DO - 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2008.04.008
M3 - Review article
C2 - 18562010
AN - SCOPUS:46349087802
VL - 119
SP - 74
EP - 82
JO - Pharmacology and Therapeutics
JF - Pharmacology and Therapeutics
SN - 0163-7258
IS - 1
ER -