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Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Isolation and Characterization of Tumor-initiating Cells from Sarcoma Patient-derived Xenografts
Published on: June 13, 2019
Expression of CD133 in synovial sarcoma
Jefferson Terry1, Torsten Nielsen
1Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Jefferson.Terry@vch.ca
Cancer stem-like cells may drive synovial sarcoma development. This study found CD133 expressing cells in synovial sarcoma, potentially representing these key cancer stem-like cells for future therapies.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Cancer Biology
- Soft Tissue Tumors
Background:
- Synovial sarcoma is a challenging soft tissue tumor with poor prognosis.
- Cancer stem-like cells are implicated in tumor development and resistance to therapy.
- The role of cancer stem-like cells in synovial sarcoma remains largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence and characteristics of cancer stem-like cells in synovial sarcoma.
- To determine the expression of CD133, a potential neural cancer stem-like cell marker, in synovial sarcoma.
- To validate synovial sarcoma cell lines for studying CD133+ subpopulations.
Main Methods:
- Immunohistochemical analysis of CD133 expression in primary synovial sarcoma tissues.
- Evaluation of CD133 expression in established synovial sarcoma cell lines.
- Histological examination of CD133 positive cell morphology.
Main Results:
- CD133 expressing cell subpopulations were detected in all examined primary synovial sarcomas (5/5) and cell lines (3/3).
- CD133 positive cells exhibited dispersed distribution and appeared to possess dendritic processes.
- Three synovial sarcoma cell lines were validated as models for studying the CD133+ subpopulation.
Conclusions:
- This study provides the first evidence of CD133 expressing cells in synovial sarcoma.
- CD133+ cells in synovial sarcoma may represent cancer stem-like cells.
- Identifying these cells has significant implications for understanding tumor pathogenesis and developing targeted therapies.
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