"The role of cancer stem cells in the resistance that develops during anticancer drug treatments"

Abstract

Stem cells are unspecialized cells with self-renewal and differentiation capabilities. Recent years, are the center of many scientific researches. More specifically, Adult Stem Cells (ASCs) are located in specific microenvironments in the body, known as niches, where they remain undifferentiated until they receive the appropriate signal. Their operation focuses on regenerating the damaged tissues and maintaining the homeostasis into the organism. Very often, though, stem cells proliferate uncontrollably, which leads to the appearance of Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) in various malignancies. CSCs are able to activate oncogenesis, and in addition contribute to cancer recurrence even after a series of successful chemotherapies. Moreover, due to their plasticity they can switch between CSC and non-CSC states, avoid cell death and metastasize, even after a long period of life (cancer stem cell quiescence). Chemotherapeutic agents, which target mainly rapidly proliferating cancer cells, aren’t effective in Cancer Stem Cells.

This review studies in particular the developed resistance to anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapies) in different types of cancer due to the existence of CSCs. The selective targeting of CSCs and their microenvironment is a promising strategy against cancer.

GRENDA Anna