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Review
. 2016 Apr 7;22(13):3547-57.
doi: 10.3748/wjg.v22.i13.3547.

Liver cancer stem cell markers: Progression and therapeutic implications

Jing-Hui Sun  1 , Qing Luo  1 , Ling-Ling Liu  1 , Guan-Bin Song  1
Affiliations
Review

Liver cancer stem cell markers: Progression and therapeutic implications

Jing-Hui Sun et al. World J Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small subpopulation in cancer, have been proposed to be cancer-initiating cells, and have been shown to be responsible for chemotherapy resistance and cancer recurrence. The identification of CSC subpopulations inside a tumor presents a new understanding of cancer development because it implies that tumors can only be eradicated by targeting CSCs. Although advances in liver cancer detection and treatment have increased the possibility of curing the disease at early stages, unfortunately, most patients will relapse and succumb to their disease. Strategies aimed at efficiently targeting liver CSCs are becoming important for monitoring the progress of liver cancer therapy and for evaluating new therapeutic approaches. Herein, we provide a critical discussion of biological markers described in the literature regarding liver cancer stem cells and the potential of these markers to serve as therapeutic targets.

Keywords: Cancer recurrence; Cancer stem cell markers; Liver cancer; Liver cancer stem cells; Targeted therapy.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Targeting liver cancer stem cells is necessary to prevent tumor recurrence. LCSCs are resistant to the current standard of care: surgical resection, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Therapeutic approaches and strategies to target LCSCs in addition to the differentiated tumor cells are necessary to effectively treat the entire cancer and prevent tumor recurrence. LCSCs: Liver cancer stem cells.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Proposed hierarchy of liver cancer stem cells according to the current literature. Liver cancer stem cell markers have been defined that can give rise to ALDH+CD133+, EpCAM+CD90+, CD133+CD44+ and other early progenitor cells, each of which can subsequently divide into more differentiated progenitor cells. Rounded arrows show cells with self-renewal capacity that have the potential to serve as CSCs. Small arrows show the unproven potential for “de-differentiation”. CSCs: Cancer stem cells.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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