Stem cells and cancer: recent updates in tumor biology, cancer stem cells, and targeted therapies

Le résumé fourni par la source

Cancer remains a significant health concern all over the world. Regardless of advancements in surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and targeted therapies, tumor recurrence and resistance against therapies remain significant challenges. There is increasing evidence suggesting a central role of cancer stem cells (CSCs) in tumor initiation, progression, metastasis, as well as relapses. CSCs resistance to conventional treatments makes them a major target in cancer research. Advances in stem cell biology and cancer research have increased our understanding of tumor heterogeneity and plasticity. The use of technologies, including induced pluripotent stem cells, single-cell sequencing, organoid models, and genome editing, has demonstrated the major molecular processes that regulate stemness and tumor growth. The maintenance of cancer stem cells and disease progression are caused by dysregulation of signaling pathways. Cancer is nowadays seen as a dynamic and complex ecosystem, influenced by the changes of genetic and epigenetic regulation, changes in metabolic regulation, immune evasion and the interactions with the tumor microenvironment. Despite the promising prospects of emerging therapeutic strategies against cancer stem cells (CSCs), numerous challenges still exist, and one of them is the heterogeneity of tumors and the plasticity of CSCs.

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