Cancer stem cell impact on clinical oncology

Abstract

Cancer is a widespread worldwide chronic disease. In most cases, the high mortality rate from cancer correlates with a lack of clear symptoms, which results in late diagnosis for patients, and consequently, advanced tumor disease with poor probabilities for cure, since many patients will show chemo- and radio-resistance. Several mechanisms have been studied to explain chemo- and radio-resistance to anti-tumor therapies, including cell signaling pathways, anti-apoptotic mechanisms, stemness, metabolism, and cellular phenotypes. Interestingly, the presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are a subset of cells within the tumors, has been related to therapy resistance. In this review, we focus on evaluating the presence of CSCs in different tumors such as breast cancer, gastric cancer, lung cancer, and hematological neoplasias, highlighting studies where CSCs were identified in patient samples. It is evident that there has been a great drive to identify the cell surface phenotypes of CSCs so that they can be used as a tool for anti-tumor therapy treatment design. We also review the potential effect of nanoparticles, drugs, natural compounds, aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitors, cell signaling inhibitors, and antibodies to treat CSCs from specific tumors. Taken together, we present an overview of the role of CSCs in tumorigenesis and how research is advancing to target these highly tumorigenic cells to improve oncology patient outcomes.

Polymersome‐assisted delivery of curcumin: A suitable approach to decrease cancer stemness markers and regulate miRNAs expression in HT29 colorectal cancer cells

“…However, the major problems in the use of curcumin are its low water solubility, poor bioavailability, fast metabolism, imperfect uptake, and weak tissue distribution· On the other hand, the undesirable prognosis of advanced colon cancer, recurrence, and poor response to treatment have caused colon cancer to be still one of the most common cancers around the world Cancer stem‐like cells (CSC) are responsible for resistance to treatments such as chemo/radiotherapy in variety of cancers such as colon cancer . Therefore, cooperating dietary anticancer agents such as curcumin with conventional drugs could trigger CSC apoptosis and harmonize cell surface proteins, which increasing their expression, can develop CSC in clone cancer . On the other hand, many cellular and molecular pathways involved in CRC could be adjusted by modulating miRNAs expression as suggested biomarkers in cellular stemness, and it is clear that dysregulation of miRNAs is responsible for various uncontrolled biological pathways such as cell cycle, apoptosis, cell proliferation, and tumorigenesis .…”

“…49 Therefore, cooperating dietary anticancer agents such as curcumin with conventional drugs 50 could trigger CSC apoptosis 51 and harmonize cell surface proteins, which increasing their expression, can develop CSC in clone cancer. 52 On the other hand, many cellular and molecular pathways involved in CRC could be adjusted by modulating miRNAs expression as suggested biomarkers in cellular stemness, 23 and it is clear that dysregulation of miRNAs is responsible for various uncontrolled biological pathways such as cell cycle, apoptosis, cell proliferation, and tumorigenesis 53,54 . In this study, we evaluate polymersome as a nanocarrier for encapsulation of curcumin, and investigate the effects of CPNs on cell proliferation and the expression of CSC surface markers in HT29 cells.…”

Multifaceted Roles of Caveolin-1 in Lung Cancer: A New Investigation Focused on Tumor Occurrence, Development and Therapy

“…It can consequently contribute to tumorigenesis, growth, migration, drug resistance and recurrence in cancers. CSCs are characterized by their spheroidal shape, the expression of specific cell markers, and their ability to pump out anti-tumor agents through membrane transporters, leading to drug resistance [36][37][38]. The transcription factor octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (Oct-4) is reported to play an important role in the stem cell generation during embryogenesis and tumorigenesis by regulating the targeted genes transcription [39,40].…”

Downregulation of hsa-microRNA-204-5p and identification of its potential regulatory network in non-small cell lung cancer: RT-qPCR, bioinformatic- and meta-analyses

“…Like other miRNAs, miR-204-5p plays an indispensable role in cancer proliferation, migration, and metastasis by regulating the tumor microenvironment, such as ECM structure and CAM metabolism [64]. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) attain stemness by complicated processes and signaling pathways, such as JAK-STAT, nuclear factor kappa B, Sonic hedgehog, transforming growth factor beta, Wnt/β-catenin, and PI3K/AKT [65,66]. Many miRNAs take part in processes that maintain a balance between differentiation and quiescence of pulmonary CSCs, adjust the tumor microenvironment and affect cell cycle progression via regulation of these signaling pathways [67].…”