Hale James S, Sinyuk Maksim, Rich Jeremy N, Lathia Justin D
CNS Oncol. 2013 Jul;2(4):319-30. doi: 10.2217/cns.13.23.
Our understanding of the complexity of nervous system cancers has been enhanced through the incorporation of cellular heterogeneity into tumor models, with cellular subsets displaying stem cell characteristics. Advanced cancers such as glioblastoma are organized in a hierarchy with cancer stem cells at the apex. Cancer stem cells are functionally defined by their ability to self-renew and propagate tumors similar to the parental tumors from which they are derived. We will discuss advances in cancer stem cells, including the ability to prospectively isolate and interrogate cancer stem cells, by defining molecular mechanisms responsible for the tumor maintenance and growth. While the field of cancer stem cell biology is relatively young, continued elucidation of the tumor hierarchy holds promise for the development of novel patient therapies.
通过将细胞异质性纳入肿瘤模型,我们对神经系统癌症复杂性的理解得到了加强,其中细胞亚群表现出干细胞特征。像胶质母细胞瘤这样的晚期癌症是按照等级组织起来的,癌症干细胞处于顶端。癌症干细胞的功能定义为它们具有自我更新和增殖肿瘤的能力,类似于它们所源自的亲代肿瘤。我们将讨论癌症干细胞的进展,包括通过定义负责肿瘤维持和生长的分子机制来前瞻性地分离和研究癌症干细胞的能力。虽然癌症干细胞生物学领域相对年轻,但对肿瘤等级的持续阐明为开发新的患者治疗方法带来了希望。