Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Cancer Stem Cells and Skin Cancer
Caterina A.M. La Porta
Abstract Skin cancers are the fastest growing type of cancer in the United
States and represent the most commonly diagnosed malignancy, surpassing
lung, breast, colorectal and prostate cancer. The epidermis is a multilayered
epithelium that covers the skin providing a waterproof barrier that essentially
controls the rate of water loss from the body. Recently, cancer stem cells (CSCs)
are defined as cells with the capability of self-renewal, the potential to develop
into any cell in the overall tumour population and to proliferate driving the
continued expansion of the population of malignant cells. Thereby, the proper-
ties of tumour-initiating cells closely parallel to the features that define normal
stem cells, i.e. asymmetric division. The molecular signature of skin stem cells
and cancer stem cells is discussed.
According to the CSC model, clinical success depends largely on the CSC
population either in quantitative terms such as the relative or absolute number
of CSCs or qualitative aspects related to biological features of CSCs. The new
pharmacological perspectives are also discussed.
Contents
1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
251
1.1 Stem Cells in the Skin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
252
2 Cancer Stem Cells and Stemness Signature in the Skin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
257
3 Pharmacological Perspectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
259
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
262
1 Introduction
Skin cancers are the fastest growing type of cancer in the United States and
represent the most commonly diagnosed malignancy, surpassing lung, breast,
colorectal and prostate cancer. In United States about 1 million of skin cancer
C.A.M. La Porta (*)
Department of Biomolecular Science Biotechnology, University of Milan, Italy
