Skip Navigation


Annals of Oncology Advance Access first published online on May 3, 2006
This version published online on September 29, 2006
Annals of Oncology, doi:10.1093/annonc/mdl074
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
17/11/1620    most recent
mdl074v3
mdl074v2
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Massard, C.
Right arrow Articles by Soria, J.-C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Massard, C.
Right arrow Articles by Soria, J.-C.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© 2006 European Society for Medical Oncology
Received February 22, 2006
Accepted March 7, 2006

review

Tumour stem cell-targeted treatment: elimination or differentiation

C. Massard 1, E. Deutsch 2, and J.-C. Soria 1 *

1 Department of Medicine, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
2 Department of Radiation Oncology, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
J.-C. Soria, E-mail: soria{at}igr.fr


  Abstract

A wide range of studies suggest that most cancers are clonal and may represent the progeny of a single cell, a cancer stem cell (CSC) endowed with the capacity to maintain tumour growth. The concept of a cancer stem cell emerged decades ago, and the haematopoietic system is where it has mostly gained ground. More recently, CSC have been described in breast cancer and brain tumours. Growing evidence suggests that pathways regulating normal stem cell self-renewal and differentiation are also present in cancer cells and CSC. Malignant tumours can be viewed as an abnormal organ in which a small population of tumourigenic cancer stem cells have escaped the normal limits of self-renewal giving rise to abnormally differentiated cancer cells that contribute to tumour progression and growth. This new model has important implications for the study and treatment of cancer. Understanding the molecular circuitry which contributes to the maintenance of stem cells may provide an insight into the molecular mechanisms of cancer and thus new approaches for elimination or differentiation therapy. Therapies targeting CSC should focus on pathways such as Wnt, Shh and Notch which are required for the maintenance of cancer stem cells, but also on the ABC transporter family and other specific properties of cancer stem cells.

Keywords: cancer stem cell; differentiation; leukaemia; self-renewal; solid tumours; targeted therapy.
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Ann OncolHome page
M. Mimeault and S. K. Batra
Interplay of distinct growth factors during epithelial mesenchymal transition of cancer progenitor cells and molecular targeting as novel cancer therapies
Ann. Onc., October 1, 2007; 18(10): 1605 - 1619.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.