Cancer Stem cells Video

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are cancer cells (found within tumors or hematological cancers) that possess characteristics associated with normal stem cells, specifically the ability to give rise to all cell types found in a particular cancer sample. These cells are therefore tumorigenic (tumor-forming), perhaps in contrast to other non-tumorigenic cancer cells. CSCs may generate tumors through the stem cell processes of self-renewal and differentiation into multiple cell types. Such cells are proposed to persist in tumors as a distinct population and cause relapse and metastasis by giving rise to new tumors.

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Existing cancer treatments were mostly developed on animal models, where therapies able to promote tumor shrinkage were deemed effective. However, animals could not provide a complete model of human disease. In particular, in mice, whose life spans do not exceed two years, tumor relapse is exceptionally difficult to study.

The efficacy of cancer treatments are, in the initial stages of testing, often measured by the amount of tumor mass they kill off. As CSCs would form a very small proportion of the tumor, this may not necessarily select for drugs that act specifically on the stem cells. The theory suggests that conventional chemotherapies kill differentiated or differentiating cells, which form the bulk of the tumor but are unable to generate new cells. A population of CSCs, which gave rise to it, could remain untouched and cause a relapse of the disease.

Importance of stem cells

Not only is finding the source of cancer cells necessary for successful treatments, but if current treatments of cancer do not properly destroy enough CSCs, the tumor will reappear. Including the possibility that the treatment of for instance, chemotherapy, will leave only chemotherapy-resistant CSCs, then the ensuing tumor will most likely also be resistant to chemotherapy. If the cancer tumor is detected early enough, enough of the tumor can be killed off and marginalized with traditional treatment. But as the tumor size increases, it becomes more and more difficult to remove the tumor without conferring resistance and leaving enough behind for the tumor to reappear.

Some treatments with chemotherapy, such as paclitaxel in ovarian cancer (a cancer usually discovered in late stages), may actually serve to promote certain cancer growth (55-75% relapse <2>
Origins

This is still an area of ongoing research. Logically, the smallest change (and hence the most likely mutation) to produce a cancer stem cell would be a mutation from a normal stem cell. Also, in tissues with a high rate of cell turnover (such as the skin or GI epithelium, where cancers are common), it can be argued that stem cells are the only cells that live long enough to acquire enough genetic abnormalities to become cancerous. However it is still possible that more differentiated cancer cells (in which the genome is less stable) could acquire properties of 'stemness'.

It is likely that in a tumor there are several lines of stem cells, with new ones being created and others dying off as a tumor grows and adapts to its surroundings. Hence, tumor stem cells can constitute a 'moving target', making them even harder to treat.

Implications for cancer treatment

The existence of CSCs have several implications in terms of future cancer treatment and therapies. These include disease identification, selective drug targets, prevention of metastasis, and development of new strategies in fighting cancer.

Normal somatic stem cells are naturally resistant to chemotherapeutic agents - they have various pumps (such as MDR) that pump out drugs, DNA repair proteins and they also have a slow rate of cell turnover (chemotherapeutic agents naturally target rapidly replicating cells). CSCs, if they are the mutated counterparts of normal stem cells, may also have similar functions which allows them to survive therapy. These surviving CSCs then repopulate the tumor, causing relapse. By selectively targeting CSCs, it would be possible to treat patients with aggressive, non-resectable tumors, as well as preventing the tumor from metastasizing. The hypothesis implies that if the CSCs are eliminated, the cancer would simply regress due to differentiation and cell death.

There has also been a lot of research into finding specific markers that may distinguish CSCs from the bulk of the tumor (as well as from normal stem cells), with some success.Proteomic and genomic signatures of tumors are also being investigated. Success in these area would enable faster identification of tumor subtypes as well as personalized medicine in cancer treatments by using the right combination of drugs and/or treatments to efficiently eliminate the tumor.

Cancer stem cell pathways

A normal stem cell may be transformed into a cancer stem cell through disregulation of the proliferation and differentiation pathways controlling it. Scientists working on CSCs hope to design new drugs targeting these cellular mechanisms. The first findings in this area were made using haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and their transformed counterparts in leukemia, the disease whose stem cell origin is most strongly established. However, these pathways appear to be shared by stem cells of all organs.

Bmi-1

The Polycomb group transcriptional repressor Bmi-1 was discovered as a common oncogene activated in lymphoma and later shown to specifically regulate HSCs.The role of Bmi-1 has also been illustrated in neural stem cells. The pathway appears to be active in CSCs of pediatric brain tumors.

Notch

The Notch pathway has been known to developmental biologists for decades. Its role in control of stem cell proliferation has now been demonstrated for several cell types including haematopoietic, neural and mammary stem cells. Components of the Notch pathway have been proposed to act as oncogenes in mammary and other tumors.

Sonic hedgehog and Wnt

These developmental pathways are also strongly implicated as stem cell regulators. Both Sonic hedgehog(SHH) and Wnt pathways are commonly hyperactivated in tumors and are required to sustain tumor growth. However, the Gli transcription factors that are regulated by SHH take their name from gliomas, where they are commonly expressed at high levels. A degree of crosstalk exists between the two pathways and their activation commonly goes hand-in-hand. This is a trend rather than a rule. For instance, in colon cancer hedgehog signalling appears to antagonise Wnt.

Sonic hedgehog blockers are available, such as cyclopamine. There is also a new water soluble cyclopamine that may be more effective in cancer treatment. There is also DMAPT, a water soluble derivative of parthenolide that targets AML (leukemia) stem cells, and possibly other CSCs as in myeloma or prostate cancer. A clinical trial of DMAPT is to start in England in late 2007 or 2008. Furthermore, GRN163L was recently started in trials to target myeloma stem cells. If it is possible to eliminate the cancer stem cell, than a potential cure may be achieved if there are no more CSCs to repopulate a cancer.

Recommended Pages:

• Cancer Stem Cell News A blog of news items related to cancer stem cells, with an emphasis on recent research and articles that are openly accessible
• Exploring the role of cancer stem cells in radioresistance Abstract of a review by Michael Baumann, Mechthild Krause, Richard Hill, "Nat Rev Cancer" 2008(Jul); 8(7):545-54
• "A Tumor's Lifeblood", Jessica Gorman, CR magazine, Summer 2006
• "Cancer Stem Cell Scientific Literature Review", UMDNJ Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine, June 17, 2006
• "Stem cells may cause some forms of bone cancer", News-Medical.Net, December 7, 2005
• "The Bad Seed: Rare stem cells appear to drive cancers", Science News Online, March 20, 2004
• "The Real Problem in Breast Tumors: Cancer Stem Cells", Genome News Network, March 7, 2003
• Stem Cell and Cord Blood information database