MA04.03 Lung Tumorspheres Characterization Reveals Cancer Stem-Like Cells Potential Targets and Prognostic Markers in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Characterization of lung tumourspheres reveals cancer stem-like cells potential targets and prognostic markers in non-small cell lung cancer

Abstract Background Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the first cause of death cancer-related worldwide mainly due to high therapeutic resistance. This resistance is related to cancer stem-like cells (CSCs), for which the identification of targets and markers is still ongoing. Methods Primary cultures from 8 NSCLC patients were established as tumorspheres and as monolayers. CSCs properties were tested for both conditions in vitro and in vivo. The expression of 50 CSCs-related genes was assessed by RTqPCR and proteins of significantly overexpressed genes were examined by immunoblot and immunofluorescence. The prognostic role of these genes was analyzed in a cohort of 661 NSCLC patients f…