{"title":"Cancer stem cells: a target for overcoming therapeutic resistance and relapse.","authors":"Shuo Zhang, Rui Yang, Yujie Ouyang, Yang Shen, Lanlin Hu, Chuan Xu","doi":"10.20892/j.issn.2095-3941.2023.0333","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small subset of cells in cancers that are thought to initiate tumorous transformation and promote metastasis, recurrence, and resistance to treatment. Growing evidence has revealed the existence of CSCs in various types of cancers and suggested that CSCs differentiate into diverse lineage cells that contribute to tumor progression. We may be able to overcome the limitations of cancer treatment with a comprehensive understanding of the biological features and mechanisms underlying therapeutic resistance in CSCs. This review provides an overview of the properties, biomarkers, and mechanisms of resistance shown by CSCs. Recent findings on metabolic features, especially fatty acid metabolism and ferroptosis in CSCs, are highlighted, along with promising targeting strategies. Targeting CSCs is a potential treatment plan to conquer cancer and prevent resistance and relapse in cancer treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":9611,"journal":{"name":"Cancer Biology & Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.6000,"publicationDate":"2023-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10845928/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Cancer Biology & Medicine","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.20892/j.issn.2095-3941.2023.0333","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"MEDICINE, RESEARCH & EXPERIMENTAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small subset of cells in cancers that are thought to initiate tumorous transformation and promote metastasis, recurrence, and resistance to treatment. Growing evidence has revealed the existence of CSCs in various types of cancers and suggested that CSCs differentiate into diverse lineage cells that contribute to tumor progression. We may be able to overcome the limitations of cancer treatment with a comprehensive understanding of the biological features and mechanisms underlying therapeutic resistance in CSCs. This review provides an overview of the properties, biomarkers, and mechanisms of resistance shown by CSCs. Recent findings on metabolic features, especially fatty acid metabolism and ferroptosis in CSCs, are highlighted, along with promising targeting strategies. Targeting CSCs is a potential treatment plan to conquer cancer and prevent resistance and relapse in cancer treatment.
期刊介绍:
Cancer Biology & Medicine (ISSN 2095-3941) is a peer-reviewed open-access journal of Chinese Anti-cancer Association (CACA), which is the leading professional society of oncology in China. The journal quarterly provides innovative and significant information on biological basis of cancer, cancer microenvironment, translational cancer research, and all aspects of clinical cancer research. The journal also publishes significant perspectives on indigenous cancer types in China.