Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 20, 2026

Method for Novel Anti-Cancer Drug Development using Tumor Explants of Surgical Specimens
09:26

Method for Novel Anti-Cancer Drug Development using Tumor Explants of Surgical Specimens

Published on: July 29, 2011

Tumor stem cells: A new approach for tumor therapy (Review)

Min Meng1, Xin-Han Zhao, Qian Ning

  • 1Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Medical School of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China.

Oncology Letters
|July 31, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Tumor stem cells initiate cancer by self-renewing abnormally, lacking normal regulatory control. Understanding these cells offers new therapeutic strategies for malignancies.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Stem Cell Biology
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • A subset of tumor cells exhibits stem cell characteristics like self-renewal and differentiation.
  • These tumor stem cells lack normal regulatory mechanisms, enabling tumorigenesis upon transplantation.
  • Three hypotheses explain the cellular origin of tumor stem cells: embryonal rest, anaplasia, and maturation arrest.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the role of tumor stem cells in cancer development.
  • To investigate the signaling pathways involved in tumor stem cell regulation.
  • To propose a new model for understanding malignancies based on stem cell dysregulation.

Main Methods:

  • Review of recent studies on tumor stem cells.
  • Analysis of cellular origin hypotheses for tumor stem cells.
  • Examination of signaling pathways (Wnt/β-catenin, Notch, Oct-4) in stem cell regulation and carcinogenesis.

Main Results:

  • Tumor stem cells initiate tumors due to uncontrolled self-renewal.
  • Dysregulation of self-renewal pathways is critical in tumor development.
  • Tumors can be viewed as abnormal organs driven by escaped stem cells.

Conclusions:

  • Tumor stem cells are key drivers of cancer, characterized by aberrant self-renewal.
  • Disruption of normal stem cell regulatory mechanisms contributes to malignancy.
  • This stem cell-centric model has significant implications for cancer research and treatment strategies.

More Related Videos

Isolation and Characterization of Tumor-initiating Cells from Sarcoma Patient-derived Xenografts07:18

Isolation and Characterization of Tumor-initiating Cells from Sarcoma Patient-derived Xenografts

Published on: June 13, 2019

Processing of Primary Brain Tumor Tissue for Stem Cell Assays and Flow Sorting08:14

Processing of Primary Brain Tumor Tissue for Stem Cell Assays and Flow Sorting

Published on: September 25, 2012

Related Concept Videos

Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Maintenance02:40

Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Maintenance

Early diagnosis and treatment can often cure cancer. However, even with treatment, residual cells called cancer stem cells (CSC) might remain, often causing tumor recurrence. These cancer stem cells possess the potential for self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation and are often responsible for the therapeutic resistance displayed in most cancers.
Cancer stem cells are thought to originate from tissue-specific normal stem cells or progenitor cells. The normal stem cells usually reside in...
Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Maintenance02:40

Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Maintenance

Early diagnosis and treatment can often cure cancer. However, even with treatment, residual cells called cancer stem cells (CSC) might remain, often causing tumor recurrence. These cancer stem cells possess the potential for self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation and are often responsible for the therapeutic resistance displayed in most cancers.
Cancer stem cells are thought to originate from tissue-specific normal stem cells or progenitor cells. The normal stem cells usually reside in...
Stem Cell Therapy for Tissue Regeneration01:21

Stem Cell Therapy for Tissue Regeneration

Stem cell therapy is a method used in regenerative medicine to repair and restore function to damaged tissues and organs. Stem cells have the potential to proliferate and differentiate into various tissue types, making them ideal candidates for tissue regeneration. For example, hematopoietic stem cell transplants are commonly used in blood cancer treatment to replenish damaged bone marrow and restore healthy blood cells.
Types of Stem Cells used in Stem Cell Therapy
The two main cell types that...
Tumor Immunotherapy01:27

Tumor Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a treatment that boosts or manipulates the immune system to fight diseases, including cancer. For instance, by stimulating an immune response through vaccinations against viruses that cause cancers, like hepatitis B virus and human papillomavirus, these diseases can be prevented. Nonetheless, some cancer cells can avoid the immune system due to their rapid mutation and division. The immune response to many cancers involves three phases: elimination, equilibrium, and escape.
Cancer Therapies02:49

Cancer Therapies

Cancer therapies are various modes of treatment, such as surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy that are administered to cancer patients.
However, cancer treatments can pose several challenges, as therapies used to kill cancer cells are generally also toxic to normal cells. Moreover, cancer cells mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to chemical agents or radiation therapy. Besides, all types of cancer cells may not respond to the same therapy. Some cancer cells respond to one...
Targeted Cancer Therapies02:57

Targeted Cancer Therapies

The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against specific...