Prostate cancer stem cells: an updated mini-review

Prostate cancer is the most common malignant tumor in male genitourinary system. The incidence of prostate cancer ranks the first among all male malignant tumors worldwide, and the mortality rate ranks the second among all male malignant tumors. Prostate stem cells are heterogeneous subsets with the function of self-regeneration and proliferation in the prostate, which can produce all cell lineages that make up the prostate epithelium. At present, the pathogenesis of prostate cancer remains unclear. According to cancer stem cell hypothesis, prostate cancer may be a stem cell disease, which provides a new direction for revealing the pathogenesis of prostate cancer and developing treatment strategy for prostate cancer. In this mini-review, we highlight recent advances in our understanding of the origin, surface molecular markers, signaling pathway and the significance for clinical treatment of prostate cancer stem cells.