At this time, brain tumor stem cells remain a controversial hypothesis while malignant brain tumors continue to present a dire prognosis of severe morbidity and mortality. Yet, brain tumor stem cells may represent an essential cellular target for glioma therapy as they are postulated to be the tumorigenic cells responsible for recurrence. Targeting oncogenic pathways that are essential to the survival and growth of brain tumor stem cells represents a promising area for developing therapeutics. However, due to the multiple oncogenic pathways involved in glioma, it is necessary to determine which pathways are the essential targets for therapy. Furthermore, research still needs to comprehend the morphogenic processes of cell populations involved in tumor formation. Here, we review research and discuss perspectives on models of glioma in order to delineate the current issues in defining brain tumor stem cells as therapeutic targets in models of glioma.
1-Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/genetics/metabolism ; Animals ; Brain Neoplasms/genetics/*metabolism/*pathology/therapy ; Glioma/genetics/*metabolism/*pathology/therapy ; Humans ; Neoplastic Stem Cells/*metabolism/*pathology ; Receptors, Notch/genetics/metabolism ; Signal Transduction/genetics/physiology