Search results for "CANCER STEM CELL"

STEM CELLS IN BREAST CANCER DEVELOPMENT AND MALIGNANT PROGRESSION

BMP7v induces cancer stem cells differentiation and enhances chemotherapy response in colorectal cancer

2014

Cancer stem cells (CSCs), characterized by high levels of ATP-binding cassette, anti-apoptotic molecules, active DNA-repair and slow replication capacities, surviving to conventional anti-cancer therapies, able to eradicate only the highly proliferating tumor cells, represent the elective target for new therapies. Colorectal CSCs (CR-CSCs) represent a powerful tool for preclinical validation of target therapies. In particular the elucidation of the mechanisms that govern stem cell survival and differentiation appears very essential for the identification of new molecular targets in cancer therapy. Among the molecules that govern these processes there are the Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMP…

Cancer Stem Cells: to be or not to be, is that the problem?

2014

Role of interleukin-4 on colon cancer stem cell survival

2009

Colon cancer stem cells: to be or not to be, is that the problem?

2014

Abstract 1902: Enrichment of putative cancer stem cells during anti-angiogenic therapies promotes relapse formation in hepatocellular carcinoma

2017

Abstract Background and Aims: Activation of neo-angiogenic processes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) during disease progression is frequently associated with poor clinical outcome. Consequently, inhibition of neo-angiogenesis is an effective treatment strategy for advanced HCC. However, development of chemoresistance is observed in the majority of patients. Compelling evidence suggest that cancer stem cells (CSCs) may contribute to the acquisition of resistant properties in many solid tumors, but their exact role in this process for HCC remains to be defined. Here, we evaluate the importance of CSCs in the development of resistance and relapse formation after exposure to different anti-an…

Multicellular tumor spheroids: an underestimated tool is catching up again.

2009

The present article highlights the rationale, potential and flexibility of tumor spheroid mono- and cocultures for implementation into state of the art anti-cancer therapy test platforms. Unlike classical monolayer-based models, spheroids strikingly mirror the 3D cellular context and therapeutically relevant pathophysiological gradients of in vivo tumors. Some concepts for standardization and automation of spheroid culturing, monitoring and analysis are discussed, and the challenges to define the most convenient analytical endpoints for therapy testing are outlined. The potential of spheroids to contribute to either the elimination of poor drug candidates at the pre-animal and pre-clinical …

THE TUMOR CELL IDENTITY: A GATEWAY TO THE MOLECULAR BASIS OF MALIGNANT TRANSFORMATION

It is now well established that within a tumor mass there is a hierarchical organization, stemming from a cell subpopulation retaining the highest tumorigenic potential, referred as cancer stem cells (CSCs), responsible for tumor initiation and progression. Although recent advances in stem cell biology led to the acquisition of new view of thyroid carcinoma as a stem cell disease, the cellular origin of thyroid CSCs remains unknown. In Chapter 1 it is critically discussed the potential role of thyroid stem cells (TSCs) in light of the available information on the oncogenic role of genetic alterations underlying the thyroid carcinogenesis. Understanding the key events that regulate thyroid t…

Let-7d-5p miRNA shows oncogenic functions in triple negative breast cancer

2018

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive subtype of BC which lack of targeted therapies and is associated with poor prognosis. The presence of Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) could be responsible for TNBC resistance to therapy, recurrence and metastasis, and might explain the difficult of its eradication. MiRNAs -a class of small non-coding RNAs- can modulate gene expression and their dysregulation may cause cancer formation. The let-7 family is dysregulated in various cancers and often its roles are unclear and of difficult interpretation. For example, let-7d can be over- or down-expressed and can act as tumor suppressor or oncogene. Here, we evaluated the expression profiles o…

Targeting cancer stem cells and the tumor microenvironment

2015

Compelling evidence indicates that the survival and behavior of cancer stem cells (CSCs) are positively regulated by specific stimuli received from the tumor microenvironment, which dictates the maintenance of stemness, invasiveness, and protection against drug-induced apoptotic signals. CSCs are per se endowed with multiple treatment resistance capabilities, thus the eradication of CSC pools offers a precious strategy in achieving a long-term cancer remission. Numerous therapies, aimed at eradicating CSCs, have been elaborated such as: (i) selective targeting of CSCs, (ii) modulating their stemness and (iii) influencing the microenvironment. In this context, markers commonly exploited to i…