Some in vitro data using cancer cell lines has been published, which suggests reprogramming of non-tumorigenic cancer cells to cancer stem cells induced by ionizing radiation. Is there some clinical data (or data in mice) which shows that a similar phenomenon operates during cancer radiotherapy in vivo?
The newly emerging hypothetical concept CANCER STEM CELL CONCEPT, clearly indicates that every cancer cell population is known to have a subset of cancer stem cell population that has the capability to reprogram them selves into cancer cells and cancer stem cells when TRIGGERED.
Now the reason I caps TRIGGERED, is according to hypothesis, by many articles its the treatment strategies that could possibly trigger these cancer stem cells that are generally in dormant stage.
When an organism reported with cancer is given any of the available treatment strategies, most of the cancer cells die, leaving the cancer stem cells resistant to the treatment as they are very slow dividing cells and are resistance to most of the drugs (due to the presence of ABC transport proteins and other Drug resistance associate proteins like Metalloproteins)
So finally to answer to ur question sir, I think during radiotherapy or any therapy you may not be able to find the cancer stem cells. But, post treatment there could be a very minute population of cancer stem cells (in general 0.01-0.1 % of total population) in any cancer niche. This minute population has the ability to Redifferentiate and Dedifferentiate (i.e. self renewal into cancer stem cells and to differentiate into cancer cells) to maintain its damaged cancer niche.
Now coming to experimental evidences, People have tried maintaining drug resistance cell lines, by giving frequent drug treatment to cancer cells, and finally isolate the left over cancer stem cells and allow them to grow. Our lab is also working on this concept and presently we were able to isolate the survived cancer stem cells on in vitro conditions. If presistant results are observed we may proceed to invivo treatment and isolation strategies.
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