New Aspects Of Cancer Stem Cell Biology

The cancer stem cell (CSC) paradigm represents one of the most prominent breakthroughs of the last decades in tumor biology. CSCs are that subpopulation within a tumor that can survive conventional therapies and as a consequence are able to fuel tumor recurrence. Nevertheless, the biological characteristics of CSCs and even their existence, remain the main topic among tumor biologists debates. The difficulty in achieving a better definition of CSC biology may actually be explained by the plasticity of such a cell subpopulation. Indeed, the emerging view is that CSCs represent a dynamic “state” of tumor cells that can acquire stemness-related properties under specific circumstances, rather than referring to a well-defined group of cells. Regardless of their origin, it is clear that designing novel antitumor treatments based on the eradication of CSCs will only be possible upon unraveling the biological mechanisms that underlie their pathogenic role in tumor progression and therapy resistance. The Special Issue on “New aspects of cancer stem cell biology: implications for innovative therapies” aims at highlighting recent insights into CSC features that can make them an attractive target for novel therapeutic strategies.

Principles of Stem Cell Biology and Cancer: Future Applications and Therapeutics Tarik Regad, The John van Geest Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham Trent University, UK, Thomas J. Sayers, Centre for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, USA and Robert Rees The John van Geest Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham Trent University, UK The field of cancer stem cells is expanding rapidly, with many groups focusing on isolating and identifying cancer stem cell populations. Although some progress has been made developing efficient cancer therapies, targeting cancer stem cells remains one of the important challenges facing the growing stem cell research community. Principles of Stem Cell Biology and Cancer brings together original contributions from international experts in the field to present the very latest information linking stem cell biology and cancer. Divided into two parts, the book begins with a detailed introduction to stem cell biology with a focus on the characterization of these cells, progress that has been made in their identification, as well as future therapeutic applications of stem cells. The second part focuses on cancer stem cells and their role in cancer development, progression and chemo-resistance. This section of the book includes an overview of recent progress concerning therapies targeting cancer stem cells. Features: An authoritative introduction to the link between stem cell biology and cancer. Includes contributions from leading international experts in the field. Well-illustrated with full colour figures throughout. This book will prove an invaluable resource for basic and applied researchers and clinicians working on the development of new cancer treatments and therapies, providing a timely publication of high quality reviews outlining the current progress and exciting future possibilities for stem cell research.

In recent years, cancer stem cells have been recognized as important component in carcinogenesis and they seem to form the basis of many (if not all) tumor types. Cancer stem cells or "cancer cell like stem cells" have been isolated from various cancers of different origin (blood, breast, brain, skin, head and neck, thyroid, cervix, lung, retina, colon, pancreas and so on). Cancer stem cells - rare cells with indefinite proliferative potential that drive the formation and growth of tumours- seem to show intriguing relationships with physiological stem cells. Specifically, these cancer cells show significant similarities in the mechanisms that regulate self-renewal of normal stem cells. Moreover, tumour cells might directly arise from normal stem cells. Further, the cellular biology of cancer stem cells show a lot of similarities with normal stem cells.

The cancer stem cell (CSC) paradigm represents one of the most prominent breakthroughs of the last decades in tumor biology. CSCs are that subpopulation within a tumor that can survive conventional therapies and as a consequence are able to fuel tumor recurrence. Nevertheless, the biological characteristics of CSCs and even their existence, remain the main topic among tumor biologists debates. The difficulty in achieving a better definition of CSC biology may actually be explained by the plasticity of such a cell subpopulation. Indeed, the emerging view is that CSCs represent a dynamic “state” of tumor cells that can acquire stemness-related properties under specific circumstances, rather than referring to a well-defined group of cells. Regardless of their origin, it is clear that designing novel antitumor treatments based on the eradication of CSCs will only be possible upon unraveling the biological mechanisms that underlie their pathogenic role in tumor progression and therapy resistance. The Special Issue on “New aspects of cancer stem cell biology: implications for innovative therapies” aims at highlighting recent insights into CSC features that can make them an attractive target for novel therapeutic strategies.

This book summarizes the latest findings about the role of cancer stem cells (CSCs) in cancer biology and how this knowledge could be used for novel anticancer therapies. It provides an overview of CSCs in selected malignancies with particular emphasis on hematopoietic neoplasias. It then reviews the role of CSCs in metastasis formation and initiation of cancer relapses. It also examines the dark side of cancer therapy such as conventional cancer therapies that may lead to the origin of recurrence CSCs. Finally, it supplies a brief overview of current concepts that may allow for a selective eradication of CSCs.

Cancer Stem Cells, Volume 141 in the Advances in Cancer Research series, presents the latest release in this ongoing, well-regarded serial that provides invaluable information on the exciting and fast-moving field of cancer research. Topics covered in this new release include SIX-EYA-DACH network control of cancer stem cell properties, Dormancy and the cancer cell niche, Clonal hematopoiesis: A hematopoietic stem cell disorder of aging, Stringent assays to study human breast cancer stem cells, Regulation of breast cancer stem cell specification and maintenance by hypoxia-inducible factors, Cancer stem cells in breast and prostate: fact or fiction, and much more. Provides information on cancer research Offers outstanding and original reviews on a range of cancer research topics, with this release focusing on cancer stem cells Serves as an indispensable reference for researchers and students alike

This book describes the use of stem cells and cancer stem cell generation in the inflammatory microenvironment (cancer-inducing niche) using induced pluripotent stem cells. It provides step-by-step techniques and manuals for studying stem cell and cancer stem cell generation with different applications in cancer research. The development of induced pluripotent stem cells has provided a new approach to studying cancer initiation by producing cancer stem cells without introducing mutations or foreign genes. The book features the research of the authors’ group, which was the first to generate cancer stem cells from stem cells in the presence of inflammatory conditions. The 20 chapters of this book cover topics such as generating pluripotent stem cells, converting normal stem cells to cancer stem cells, enriching, isolating and evaluating cancer stem cells. Methods for evaluating the characteristics of cancer stem cells and possible therapies against them are also discussed. The book provides easy-to-follow protocols that help researchers in the study of cancer stem cells. Illustrations help readers understand how the method of cancer stem cell generation can be applied as an essential method for assessing the carcinogenic potential of various non-mutagenic compounds. It will be a useful resource for graduate students, researchers, technicians, and physicians working in academic, hospital, and pharmaceutical settings.