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Review
. 2010 May 20;1(2):13.
doi: 10.1186/scrt13.

Cancerous stem cells: deviant stem cells with cancer-causing misbehavior

Julie M Chandler  1 , Eric Lagasse
Affiliations
Review

Cancerous stem cells: deviant stem cells with cancer-causing misbehavior

Julie M Chandler et al. Stem Cell Res Ther. .

Abstract

Stem cells maintain homeostasis in adult tissues via self-renewal and generation of terminally differentiated cells. Alterations in this intricate balance can result in disease. It has become increasingly evident that cancer can be initiated at the level of stem cells. Therefore, understanding what causes stem cells to become cancerous may lead to new therapeutic approaches. Multiple signaling pathways ultimately affect stem cell survival and proliferation, thus maintaining homeostasis in the gut. Changes in these pathways could perturb normal stem cell behavior, leading to cancerous stem cells. In addition, cancerous stem cells show resistance to current therapies and may lead to a dangerous selection process resulting in recurrence and metastasis. Genomic instability, the driving force of mutation and resistance, may give cancerous stem cells an adaptive advantage, especially when subjected to cancer therapies. Targeting the unique characteristics of cancerous stem cells to promote either terminal differentiation or destruction would effectively eradicate cancer and improve patient care and survival.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Model for cellular origin of cancer. Two models are proposed to explain the cellular heterogeneity in cancer: the stochastic model and the hierarchy model. In the stochastic model, every tumor cell can stochastically generate a tumor. In the hierarchy model, only the cancer stem cells (CSCs) will generate tumors.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Model for colon cancer initiated by stem cells. Colon stem cells are located at the base of the crypt in normal colon and will differentiate while moving up the crypt in about 5 days. Adenoma will develop upon deregulation of stem cell homeostasis. Upon further neoplastic injuries, stem cells will transform into cancerous stem cells (CSCs) with some limited ability to differentiate.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Potential approach to cure cancer. A combined approach to target both the tumor-initiating cell (cancer stem cell or CSC) and its driving force (genomic instability) is proposed for the best outcome in patients with cancer.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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