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Studying Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cell Characteristics for Developing New Treatment Strategies
Published on: June 20, 2015
Epigenetic regulation of cancer stem cells: Shedding light on the refractory/relapsed cancers
Libo Xu1, Jinghua Zhang2, Jicheng Sun2
1Department of Plastic Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, PR China; Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, and Department of Pathophysiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, PR China.
Abstract:
The resistance to drugs, ability to enter quiescence and generate heterogeneous cancer cells, and enhancement of aggressiveness, make cancer stem cells (CSCs) integral part of tumor progression, metastasis and recurrence after treatment. The epigenetic modification machinery is crucial for the viability of CSCs and evolution of aggressive forms of a tumor. These mechanisms can also be targeted by specific drugs, providing a promising approach for blocking CSCs. In this review, we summarize the epigenetic regulatory mechanisms in CSCs which contribute to drug resistance, quiescence and tumor heterogeneity. We also discuss the drugs that can potentially target these processes and data from experimental and clinical studies.
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