Clinical Implications of colorectal cancer stem cells in the age of single-cell OMICs and targeted therapies.

The cancer stem cell (CSC) concept emerged from the recognition of inherent tumor heterogeneity and suggests that within a given tumor, in analogy to normal tissues, there exists a cellular hierarchy composed of a minority of more primitive cells with enhanced longevity (i.e., CSCs) that give rise to shorter-lived, more differentiated cells (i.e., cancer bulk populations), which on their own are not capable of tumor perpetuation. CSCs can be responsible for cancer therapeutic resistance to conventional, targeted, and immunotherapeutic treatment modalities, and for cancer progression through CSC-intrinsic molecular mechanisms.

Source: Gastroenterology - February 18, 2021 Category: Gastroenterology Authors: Markus H. Frank, Brian J. Wilson, Jason S. Gold, Natasha Y. Frank Source Type: research