Like stem cells, cancer cells are able to proliferate indefinitely. There is increasing evidence that the clonal population of neoplastic cells exhibit marked heterogeneity with respect to proliferation and differentiation and cancer cells arise in cells with the characteristics of stem cells. This hypothesis that a subset of cells drives tumorigenesis suggests targeting elimination of stem cell-like population of cancer cells as a new therapeutic strategy.

 Most cancers comprise a heterogenous population of cells with marked differences in their proliferative potential as well as the ability to reconstitute the tumor upon transplantation.

 Cancer stem cells are a minor population of tumor cells that possess the stem cell property of self-renewal. In addition, dysregulation of stem cell self-renewal is a likely requirement for the development of cancer.

References

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