Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Cancer Stem Cells and Metastasis: Emerging
Themes and Therapeutic Implications
Leah Owens, Benjamin Tiede, and Yibin Kang
Abstract Recent work in the field of cancer research has provided mounting
evidence for the role of cancer stem cells in the establishment of many types of
tumors. Insights into intrinsic properties of cancer stem cells are especially
important in the context of tumor invasion and metastasis. Although more
research is still necessary to solidify the role of cancer stem cells in the initiation
of metastatic growth, the multistep cascade of tumor growth and progression as
it is currently understood encompasses events likely to involve cancer stem cells
and the microenvironment that supports them. This chapter will focus on the
perceived roles of cancer stem cells in known tumorigenic andmetastatic events.
Emerging and evolving models of cancer stem cell-mediated tumor progression
provide potential windows of opportunity for developing novel therapeutic
strategies aiming at thwarting the menacing power of metastatic cancer stem
cells.
Contents
1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
92
2 Acquisition of Metastatic Character During Tumor Development . . . . . . . . . . . .
92
3 Tumor Subpopulations, Metastatic Origin, and pCSCs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
94
4 Cancer Stem Cells and the Metastatic Cascade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
98
5 The Pre-metastatic Microenvironment and mCSCs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
99
6 mCSCs: Novel Opportunities for Therapeutic Intervention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
102
6.1 Targeting the (Pre-)metastasis Niche . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
104
6.2 Transition of Quiescence (Micrometastasis) to Proliferation
(Macrometastasis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
105
6.3 Targeting CSC Surface Markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
105
7 Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
106
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
106
Y. Kang (*)
Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
e-mail: ykang@princeton.edu
