TURKISH JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 2009 , Vol 24 , Num 1
Cancer stem cells in solid tumors and leukemia
Musaffe TUNA
MD Anderson Cancer Center, Cancer Genetics, Houston, ABD Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are cells that drive tumorigenesis, as well as give rise to a large population of differentiated progeny that make up the bulk of the tumor. The same specific signaling pathways play a functional role in CSC renewal and/or differentiation as with normal stem cells, the only difference being that the same signaling pathways are dysregulated in CSCs. In addition, recent studies have demonstrated that CSCs are resistant to chemo- and radiotherapy. Future studies should lead to development of CSC-targeted therapies for cancer treatment. Keywords : Cancer stem cell; cancer stem cell markers; normal stem cell