Thyroid stem cells and cancer

Abstract

Background: Thyroid gland development and function are essential for life, and recent findings indicate the presence of stem/progenitor cells within the thyroid gland as a potential source of tissue regeneration and cancer formation.

Summary: This review summarizes the current knowledge on early differentiation of thyroid cells from embryonic stem cells and highlights exciting concepts and recent novel findings on adult thyroid stem/progenitor cells in the normal thyroid gland and in thyroid cancer. Other potential sources and markers of stem/progenitor cells in the thyroid include bone marrow, microchimerism, and embryological remnant-derived multifocal solid cell nests. Finally, we discuss new therapeutic strategies that target thyroid cancer stem cells.

Conclusions: Thyroid stem/progenitor cell populations are present in the normal and diseased thyroid gland. Advances in normal and cancer thyroid stem cell biology will be essential for future targeted therapies.