It has been proposed that Cancer formation arises from a small sub-population of self-renewing tumor stem cells termed, Cancer Stem Cells.
The Cancer Stem Cells exhibit properties similar to physiologic stem cells and are responsible for tumor progression. Recently, it has been proposed that Cancer Stem Cells are the unique cell type in the tumor microenvironment that maintain the microenvironment and enhance cancer metastasis and invasion. Further, it has been shown that Cancer Stem Cells can directly or indirectly interact with several immune cell populations within the tumor microenvironment, which are thought to markedly influence tumor progression.
It has been proposed that Cancer formation arises from a small sub-population of self-renewing tumor stem cells termed, Cancer Stem Cells.
The Cancer Stem Cells exhibit properties similar to physiologic stem cells and are responsible for tumor progression. Recently, it has been proposed that Cancer Stem Cells are the unique cell type in the tumor microenvironment that maintain the microenvironment and enhance cancer metastasis and invasion. Further, it has been shown that Cancer Stem Cells can directly or indirectly interact with several immune cell populations within the tumor microenvironment, which are thought to markedly influence tumor progression.
Identifying agents that are able to suppress the crosstalk between cancer and stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment might be an important therapeutic target for repressing the metastatic potential of Cancer Stem Cells. In order to develop new treatment strategies for Cancer Stem Cells, it is therefore essential to study in more detailthe interaction of Cancer Stem Cells with the residentand non-resident components in their microenvironment to elucidate the detailed mechanisms by which Cancer Stem Cells development and progression is controlled.