A rare subgroup of leukemia stem cells harbors relapse-inducing potential in acute lymphoblastic leukemia

After initially successful chemotherapy, relapse frequently jeopardizes the outcome of patients with acute leukemia. Because of their adverse characteristics of self-renewal and dormancy, leukemia stem cells have been hypothesized to play a critical role in resistance to antiproliferative chemotherapy and the development of relapse. The high abundance of stem-like cells in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), however, suggests that not all leukemia-initiating cells carry these adverse characteristics, complicating the biological characterization of relapse-inducing cells in this malignancy.
Source: Experimental Hematology - Category: Hematology Authors: Tags: REVIEW Source Type: research