Cellular interactions in prostate cancer genesis and dissemination. Looking beyond the obvious

Abstract

Similar to normal organs arising from normal stem cells, cancers can be viewed as organs composed of heterogeneous cellular populations arising from cancer cells with indefinite proliferation abilities. The continuous malignant progression is maintained by the proliferation of cancer stem cells and not the progeny that undergo limited proliferation before terminally differentiating. Effective therapy must eradicate malignant cells with unlimited clonogenic expansion within the primary tumor bulk. Thus, resolving both the specific cell of origin for prostate cancer and the interactions between the cells and the surrounding microenvironment within the cancer stem cell niche are crucial to appropriately define rational targets for therapeutic intervention and cure prostate cancer.