Cancer stem cells: The challenges ahead
Cancer stem cells: The challenges ahead
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DOI：
10.1038/ncb2717
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发表时间：
2013-04-01
影响因子：
21.3
通讯作者：
Medema, Jan Paul
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Medema, Jan Paul
肿瘤干细胞（cancer stem cells，CSCs）被认为是肿瘤发生的驱动力和转移的种子。然而，它们的存在和作用仍然是一个激烈辩论的话题。最近，在内源性发育的小鼠肿瘤中鉴定CSC为这一概念提供了进一步的支持。在这里，我讨论了识别CSC的挑战，它们对支持性小生境的依赖以及它们在转移中的作用，并提出干细胞是一种灵活的-而不是固定的-肿瘤细胞的质量，可以丢失和获得。
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been proposed as the driving force of tumorigenesis and the seeds of metastases. However, their existence and role remain a topic of intense debate. Recently, the identification of CSCs in endogenously developing mouse tumours has provided further support for this concept. Here I discuss the challenges in identifying CSCs, their dependency on a supportive niche and their role in metastasis, and propose that stemness is a flexible - rather than fixed - quality of tumour cells that can be lost and gained.