Radiation Oncology Unit, 1st Department of Radiology, Aretaieion Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUOA), 11528 Athens, Greece.
Medical Physics Unit, 2nd Department of Radiology, Attikon University Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUOA), 12462 Athens, Greece.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Oct 4;24(19):14890. doi: 10.3390/ijms241914890.
Stem cells differentiate into mature organ/tissue-specific cells at a steady pace under normal conditions, but their growth can be accelerated during the process of tissue healing or in the context of certain diseases. It is postulated that the proliferation and growth of carcinomas are sustained by the presence of a vital cellular compartment resembling stem cells residing in normal tissues: 'stem-like cancer cells' or cancer stem cells (CSCs). Mutations in prostate stem cells can lead to the formation of prostate cancer. Prostate CSCs (PCSCs) have been identified and partially characterized. These express surface markers include CD44, CD133, integrin α2β1, and pluripotency factors like OCT4, NANOG, and SOX2. Several signaling pathways are also over-activated, including Notch, PTEN/Akt/PI3K, RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK and HH. Moreover, PCSCs appear to induce resistance to radiotherapy and chemotherapy, while their presence has been linked to aggressive cancer behavior and higher relapse rates. The development of treatment policies to target PCSCs in tumors is appealing as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, through cancer cell killing, trigger tumor repopulation via activated stem cells. Thus, blocking this reactive stem cell mobilization may facilitate a positive outcome through cytotoxic treatment.
在正常情况下，干细胞会以稳定的速度分化为成熟的器官/组织特异性细胞，但在组织愈合过程中或某些疾病情况下，它们的生长可以加速。据推测，癌的增殖和生长是由类似于正常组织中存在的干细胞的重要细胞区室维持的：“类干细胞癌细胞”或癌症干细胞（CSC）。前列腺干细胞的突变可导致前列腺癌的形成。已经鉴定出前列腺 CSC（PCSC）并对其进行了部分表征。这些细胞表达的表面标志物包括 CD44、CD133、整合素 α2β1 以及多能性因子，如 OCT4、NANOG 和 SOX2。几种信号通路也过度激活，包括 Notch、PTEN/Akt/PI3K、RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK 和 HH。此外，PCSC 似乎会引起对放疗和化疗的耐药性，而其存在与侵袭性癌症行为和更高的复发率有关。开发针对肿瘤中 PCSC 的治疗策略很有吸引力，因为放疗和化疗通过杀死癌细胞，通过激活的干细胞触发肿瘤再增殖。因此，通过细胞毒性治疗阻断这种反应性干细胞动员可能会带来积极的结果。
