Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cáncer, Centro de Investigación del Cáncer, CSIC/Universidad de Salamanca, Campus M. Unamuno s/n, 37007 Salamanca, Spain.
Semin Cancer Biol. 2010 Apr;20(2):93-7. doi: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2010.02.001. Epub 2010 Feb 24.
Cancer is a clonal malignant disease originated in a single cell and characterized by the accumulation of partially differentiated cells that are phenotypically reminiscent of normal stages of differentiation. Given the fact that human cancer is diagnosed at later stages and cannot be monitored during its natural evolution, the origin of tumors has been a subject of continuing discussion. Animal models provide a means to determine the identity of the cell-of-origin leading to malignancy and to develop new treatments. Recent findings in mice have shown that cancer stem cells could arise through a reprogramming-like mechanism, suggesting that genetic lesions that initiate the cancer process might be dispensable for tumor progression and maintenance. This review addresses the impact of these results toward a better understanding of carcinogenesis and proposes research avenues for tackling these issues in the future.
癌症是一种克隆性恶性疾病，起源于单个细胞，其特征是部分分化细胞的积累，这些细胞在表型上类似于正常的分化阶段。鉴于人类癌症在晚期才被诊断出来，而且在其自然演变过程中无法被监测到，因此肿瘤的起源一直是一个持续讨论的话题。动物模型为确定导致恶性肿瘤的起始细胞提供了一种手段，并为开发新的治疗方法提供了思路。最近在小鼠身上的发现表明，癌症干细胞可能通过类似于重编程的机制产生，这表明启动癌症进程的遗传病变对于肿瘤的进展和维持可能是可有可无的。这篇综述讨论了这些结果对更好地理解致癌作用的影响，并提出了未来解决这些问题的研究途径。
