Glioma ; pathology ; Humans ; Neoplastic Stem Cells ; pathology

Animals ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Neoplastic Stem Cells ; pathology

Humans ; Laryngeal Neoplasms ; pathology ; Neoplastic Stem Cells ; cytology

Not all cancer cells are born equal. While the great majority of the cells that make up tumours are destined to differentiate, albeit aberrantly, and eventually stop dividing, a handful of cancer cells appear to possess limitless replicative potential. This review presents compelling evidence to suggest that the bulk of malignant cells of most cancers are generated by a rare fraction of stem cell-like cancer cells. These cells, dubbed cancer stem cells, are phenotypically similar to the normal stem cells of the corresponding tissue of origin, but they exhibit dysfunctional patterns of self-renewal and differentiation. Cancer stem cells that are capable of recapitulating brain tumours as xenografts in mice are characterised by defined stem cell markers. These brain tumour stem cells demonstrate enhanced chemoresistance and radioresistance mechanisms compared to non-stem cells in the heterogeneous tumour, which suggest that they may be the likely candidates for tumour progression and recurrence. Indeed, recent work has shown that such aberrant signalling pathways may be targeted in novel anti-cancer therapeutic strategies. The stem cell concept of tumour progression prompts immediate attention to a new paradigm in cancer research with a focus on this minority subset of cells, and the design of novel therapeutic strategies to target these cells that are insignificant within the population of tumour cells, but that are in fact the relevant cells to be destroyed.
Cell Transformation, Neoplastic ; Glioma ; pathology ; radiotherapy ; Humans ; Models, Biological ; Neoplastic Stem Cells ; drug effects ; pathology ; Singapore

It has been widely verified by various sorting methods that cancer stem cells (CSCs) exist in different types of tumor cells or tissues. However, due to lack of specific stem cell surface markers, CSCs are very difficult to be separated from some cancer cells, which becomes the key barrier of functional studies of CSCs. The sorting method by side population cells (SP) lays a solid foundation for in-depth and comprehensive study of CSCs. To identify the existence of SP in prostate cancer cell lines, we applied flow cytometry sorting by SP to cultures of prostate cancer cell lines (TSU, LnCap, and PC-3), and the cancer stem-like characteristics of SP were verified through experiments in vitro and in vivo. The proportion of SP in TSU cells was calculated to be 1.60%±0.40% [Formula: see text], and that in PC-3 and LnCap cells was calculated to be 0.80%±0.05% and 0.60%±0.20%, respectively. The colony formation assay demonstrated that the colony formation rate of SP to non-SP sorted from TSU via flow cytometry was 0.495±0.038 to 0.177±0.029 in 500 cells, 0.505±0.026 to 0.169±0.024 in 250 cells, and 0.088±0.016 to 0.043±0.012 in 125 cells respectively. In the in vivo experiments, tumors were observed in all the mice on the 10th day after injecting 50 000 cells subcutaneously in SP group, whereas when 5×10(6) cells were injected in non-SP group, tumors were developed in only 4 out of 8 mice until the 3rd week before the end of the experiment. Our results revealed that prostate cancer cells contain a small subset of cells, called SP, possessing much greater capacity of colony formation and tumorigenic potential than non-SP. These suggest that SP in prostate cancer cells may play a key role in the self-renewal and proliferation, and have the characteristics of cancer stem-like cells. Dissecting these features will provide a new understanding of the function of prostate CSCs in tumorigenicity and transformation.
Cell Line, Tumor ; Humans ; Male ; Neoplastic Stem Cells ; pathology ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; pathology ; Side-Population Cells ; pathology

Animals ; Brain Neoplasms ; genetics ; pathology ; Cell Differentiation ; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic ; genetics ; Glioma ; genetics ; pathology ; Humans ; Neoplastic Stem Cells ; pathology ; Neural Stem Cells ; pathology ; Neuroglia ; pathology ; Neurons ; pathology

This perspective article highlights the leukocyte-cancer cell hybrid theory as a mechanism for cancer metastasis. Beginning from the first proposal of the theory more than a century ago and continuing today with the first proof for this theory in a human cancer, the hybrid theory offers a unifying explanation for metastasis. In this scenario, leukocyte fusion with a cancer cell is a secondary disease superimposed upon the early tumor, giving birth to a new, malignant cell with a leukocyte-cancer cell hybrid epigenome.
Animals ; Bone Marrow Cells ; cytology ; pathology ; Cell Fusion ; Humans ; Hybrid Cells ; pathology ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasms ; pathology ; Neoplastic Stem Cells ; pathology

Cancer stem cells are defined as rare cells in cancer tissues with indefinite potential for self-renewal that drives tumorigenesis. It was first extensively documented for leukaemia and multiple myeloma. It has also been found in solid cancers such as human breast cancer and nervous system tumors. Studies of cancer stem cell biology and mechanisms of tumorigenesis are lending insight into the origins of cancer and will ultimately yield new approaches to fight cancer.
Animals ; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Mice ; Neoplasms ; pathology ; therapy ; Neoplastic Stem Cells ; cytology ; Tumor Stem Cell Assay ; methods

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) and angiogenesis play important roles in generation and development of malignant tumours. The number of researches concerned both of them is increasing rapidly and many impressive conclusions have been achieved based on recent studies. It is indicated that the CSCs have complicated interaction with the adjacent vascular microenvironment and they act on the disease progression together. CSCs may enhance angiogenesis while the vascular microenvironment has effects on maintenance and even induction of stemness, and new illustrations of mechanisms are constantly obtained. In this review, we summarize the current research status of mutual actions between CSCs and the vascular microenvironment, and also overview the latest progresses about relevant targeted therapies, to provide advisable information for future preclinical and clinical explorations.
Humans ; Neoplasms ; blood supply ; pathology ; Neoplastic Stem Cells ; pathology ; physiology ; Neovascularization, Pathologic ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Tumor Microenvironment

As pioneer of tumor stem cell research, leukemia stem cell research has not only important theoretical significance, but also clinical application potential. The survival and development of stem cells are directly impacted by their microenvironment. The research on leukemia stem cells and their microenvironment are now becoming a hot topic. The author presumes that stem cells are a population with heterogenecity and hierarchy; any single cell from the population is difficult to form a clone; the interaction between the leukemia stem cell and its microenvironment can be described by the concept of leukemia stem cell niche. In this article, the leukemia cell population with heterogenecity and hierarchy as well as leukemia stem cell niche were summarized and discussed.
Cell Line, Tumor ; Humans ; Leukemia ; genetics ; pathology ; Neoplastic Stem Cells ; metabolism ; pathology ; Stem Cell Niche ; cytology ; Stromal Cells ; cytology ; immunology