Late fetal and adult livers are reported to contain bipotential liver stem/ progenitor cells (LPCs), which share surface markers, including epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM), with cholangiocytes and differentiate into both hepatocytes and cholangiocytes. However, recent results do not necessarily support the idea that LPCs contribute significantly to cellular turnover and regeneration b...

BACKGROUND The p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) is a cancer stem cell (CSC) marker in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). This study aimed to assess the use of p75NTR in detecting circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in ESCC. METHODS Peripheral blood mononuclear cell expression of epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) and p75NTR was detected in 23 ESCC patients (13 received chemo- or c...

BACKGROUND There is increasing interest in hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) expressing "stemness"-related markers, as they have been associated with aggressive behavior and poor prognosis. In this study, we investigated the usefulness of Sal-like protein 4 (SALL4), a recently proposed candidate marker of "stemness." METHODS Immunohistochemical stains were performed for SALL4, K19, and epitheli...

Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) have potential utility as minimally-invasive biomarkers to aid cancer treatment decision making. However, many current CTC technologies enrich CTCs using specific surface epitopes that do not necessarily reflect CTC heterogeneity. Here we evaluated the epitope-independent Parsortix system which enriches CTCs based on size and rigidity using both healthy normal vo...

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are exfoliated at various stages of cancer, and could provide invaluable information for the diagnosis and prognosis of cancers. There is an urgent need for the development of cost-efficient and scalable technologies for rare CTC enrichment from blood. Here we report a novel method for isolation of rare tumor cells from excess of blood cells using gas-filled buoya...

PURPOSE It is well established that breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) play an essential role in tumor invasion for both local and distant metastasis. The aim of this study was to establish whether BCSCs could act as a prognostic and clinical marker. METHODS We analyzed tumor tissues from 161 breast cancer patients. Dual immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence were performed on all the slid...

Increasing evidence suggests that circulating tumour cells (CTCs) are responsible for metastatic relapse and this has fuelled interest in their detection and quantification. Although numerous methods have been developed for the enrichment and detection of CTCs, none has yet reached the 'gold' standard. Since epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM)-based enrichment of CTCs offers several advan...

Purpose: Tumor-initiating cells with stem-like properties, also termed cancer stem cells (CSC), have been shown to sustain tumor growth as well as metastasis and are highly resistant to chemotherapy. Because pancreatic CSCs have been isolated on the basis of EpCAM expression, we investigated whether a targeted immunotherapy to EpCAM using the bispecific T-cell–engaging antibody MT110 is capable...

The eradication of cancer stem cells (CSCs) is significant for cancer therapy and prevention. In this study, we evaluated WM130, a novel derivative of matrine, for its effect on CSCs using human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines, their sphere cells, and sorted EpCAM+ cells. We revealed that WM130 could not only inhibit proliferation and colony formation of HCC cells, but also suppress t...

BACKGROUND Dietary lectins can alter the proliferation of colonic cells. Differentiation is regulated by adhesion molecules which, being glycosylated, are targets for lectin binding. AIMS To examine the effects of dietary lectins on differentiation, adhesion, and proliferation of colorectal cancer cells. METHODS Differentiation was assessed in three dimensional gels, adhesion by aggregation...