Cancer stem cells (CSCs) or tumor-initiating cells (TICs) as a small subset of neoplastic cells are able to produce a tumor (tumorigenesis), maintain the population of tumorigenic cells (self-renewal), and generate the heterogeneous cells constructing the entire tumor (pluripotency). The research on stationary and circulating CSCs due to resistance to conventional therapies and inability in complete eradication of cancer is critical for developing novel therapeutic strategies for a more effective reduction in the risk of tumor metastasis and cancer recurrence. This review compiles information about different methods of detection and dissociation, side population, cellular markers, and establishment culture of CSCs, as well as characteristics of CSCs such as tumorigenicity, and signaling pathways associated with self-renewal and the capability of the same histological tumor regeneration in various cancers.

Cytokine networks as dynamic networks are pivotal aspects of tumor immunology, especially in gastric cancer (GC), in which infection, inflammation, and antitumor immunity are key elements of disease progression. In this review, we describe functional roles of well-known GC-modulatory cytokines, highlight the functions of cytokines with more recently described roles in GC, and emphasize the therapeutic potential of targeting the complex cytokine milieu. We also focus on the role of Helicobacter pylori (HP)-induced inflammation in GC and discuss how HP-induced chronic inflammation can lead to the induction of stem cell hyperplasia, morphological changes in gastric mucosa and GC development.

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