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Updated: Jul 4, 2025

Studying Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cell Characteristics for Developing New Treatment Strategies
Published on: June 20, 2015
Cancer stem cells: Recent trends in cancer therapy
Maryam Amiri-Farsani1, Zahra Taheri2, Somayeh Tirbakhsh Gouran1
1Department of Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran.
Abstract:
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a subset of tumor cells that were first identified in blood cancers (leukemia) and are considered promising therapeutic targets in cancer treatment. These cells are the cause of many malignancies including metastasis, heterogeneity, drug resistance, and tumor recurrence. They carry out these activities through multiple transcriptional programs and signaling pathways. This review summarizes the characteristics of cancer stem cells, explains their key signaling pathways and factors, and discusses targeted therapies for cancer stem cells. Investigating these mechanisms and signaling pathways responsible for treatment failure may help identify new therapeutic pathways in cancer.
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