Michael Rothenberg

Publication Details

• Cancer Stem Cells (Chapter 53)

  Michael Evan Rothenberg, Michael F Clarke. Essentials of Stem Cell Biology 2nd ed. (ed. Robert Lanza). 2009

  The worldwide burden of cancer is immense, yet our ability to cure most cancers sadly remains quite limited. Tumors are clonal, heterogeneous collections of abnormal cells whose development is only partially understood. Recently, the Cancer Stem Cell (CSC) model has re-emerged as a compelling way to reconcile the seemingly contradictory properties of clonality and developmental heterogeneity by postulating that a subset of cells within certain tumors—the cancer stem cells—self-renew, give rise to various differentiated tumor cells, and ultimately drive tumor growth and metastasis. The modern tools of stem cell biology have provided strong evidence to support this model—particularly with the prospective isolation of CSCs from hematologic and solid malignancies in both mice and humans. As molecular pathways underlying self-renewal have been dissected, the potential for cancer stem cells to arise from both normal stem cells as well as from non self-renewing progenitor cells has become apparent. The term “cancer stem cell” is thus an operative definition that does not imply a relationship to a normal tissue stem cell. Ultimately, cancer stem cells will likely have profound effects on our conceptualization and treatment of cancer.