Emerging Therapeutic Role of CDK Inhibitors in Targeting Cancer Stem Cells

Cancer stem cells: therapeutic targets

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been identified as rare cellular populations in many cancers, including leukemia and solid tumors. This minor subpopulation of cancerous cells is immortal tumor-initiating cells which thought to be responsible for cancer initiation, progression, metastasis, recurrence and drug/radiation resistance. Low proliferative rate, high self-renewing capacity, differentiatio...

Targeting cancer stem cells: emerging role of Nanog transcription factor

The involvement of stemness factors in cancer initiation and progression has drawn much attention recently, especially after the finding that introducing four stemness factors in somatic cells is able to reprogram the cells back to an embryonic stem cell-like state. Following accumulating data revealing abnormal elevated expression levels of key stemness factors, like Nanog, Oct4, and Sox2, in ...

Therapeutic Targeting of Cancer Stem Cells

Recent breakthroughs in translational oncology are opening new perspectives for the treatment of cancer. The advent of targeted therapies has provided the proof-of-concept to selectively turn-off deregulated oncogenic proteins, while the identification and validation of predictive biomarkers of response has allowed to improve, at least in some cases, their performance. Moreover, a subpopulation...

Therapeutic Strategies Targeting Cancer Stem Cells

Therapeutic strategies targeting cancer stem cells

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are undifferentiated cancer cells with a high tumorigenic activity, the ability to undergo self-renewal, and a multilineage differentiation potential. Cancer stem cells are responsible for the development of tumor cell heterogeneity, a key feature for resistance to anticancer treatments including conventional chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and molecularly targeted the...