Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Gemelli Hospital, 00168 Rome, Italy. Italy.
World J Gastroenterol. 2013 May 28;19(20):2997-3006. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i20.2997.
Tumors have long been viewed as a population in which all cells have the equal propensity to form new tumors, the so called conventional stochastic model. The cutting-edge theory on tumor origin and progression, tends to consider cancer as a stem cell disease. Stem cells are actively involved in the onset and maintenance of colon cancer. This review is intended to examine the state of the art on colon cancer stem cells (CSCs), with regard to the recent achievements of basic research and to the corresponding translational consequences. Specific prominence is given to the hypothesized origin of CSCs and to the methods for their identification. The growing understanding of CSC biology is driving the optimization of novel anti-cancer targeted drugs.
长期以来,肿瘤被视为一个所有细胞都具有同等形成新肿瘤倾向的群体,即所谓的常规随机模型。肿瘤起源和进展的前沿理论倾向于将癌症视为一种干细胞疾病。干细胞积极参与结肠癌的发生和维持。本综述旨在检查结肠癌干细胞(CSC)的最新技术水平,涉及基础研究的最新成果和相应的转化意义。特别强调了 CSC 的假设起源及其鉴定方法。对 CSC 生物学的深入了解正在推动新型抗癌靶向药物的优化。