Abstract
Despite therapeutic advances, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) remains a lethal disease. The infiltrative nature of this disease and the presence of a cellular population resistant to current medical treatments account for the poor prognosis of these patients. Growing evidence indicates the existence of a fraction of cancer cells sharing the functional properties of adult stem cells, including self-renewal and a greater ability to escape chemo-radiotherapy-induced death stimuli. Therefore, these cells are commonly defined as cancer stem cells (GBM-SCs). The initial GBM-SC concept has been challenged, and refined according to the emerging molecular taxonomy of GBM. This allowed to postulate the existence of multiple CSC types, each one driving a given molecular entity. Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly clear that GBM-SCs thrive through a dynamic and bidirectional interaction with the surrounding microenvironment. In this article, we discuss recent advances in GBM-SC biology, mechanisms through which these cells adapt to hostile conditions, pharmacological strategies for selectively killing GBM-SCs, and how novel CSC-associated endpoints have been investigated in the clinical setting.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | Article 00006 |
| Journal | Frontiers in Oncology |
| Volume | 3 JAN |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2013 |
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Keywords
- Cancer stem cells
- Canonical pathway inhibitors
- Chemo-radioresistance
- Differentiation-inducing agents
- Glioblastoma multiforme
- Hypoxia
- Self-renewal pathway inhibitors
- Stem cell-based endpoints
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cancer Research
- Oncology
Cite this
Biological and clinical implications of cancer stem cells in primary brain tumors. / Maugeri-Saccà, Marcello; Di Martino, Simona; De Maria, Ruggero.
In: Frontiers in Oncology, Vol. 3 JAN, Article 00006, 2013.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Biological and clinical implications of cancer stem cells in primary brain tumors
AU - Maugeri-Saccà, Marcello
AU - Di Martino, Simona
AU - De Maria, Ruggero
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - Despite therapeutic advances, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) remains a lethal disease. The infiltrative nature of this disease and the presence of a cellular population resistant to current medical treatments account for the poor prognosis of these patients. Growing evidence indicates the existence of a fraction of cancer cells sharing the functional properties of adult stem cells, including self-renewal and a greater ability to escape chemo-radiotherapy-induced death stimuli. Therefore, these cells are commonly defined as cancer stem cells (GBM-SCs). The initial GBM-SC concept has been challenged, and refined according to the emerging molecular taxonomy of GBM. This allowed to postulate the existence of multiple CSC types, each one driving a given molecular entity. Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly clear that GBM-SCs thrive through a dynamic and bidirectional interaction with the surrounding microenvironment. In this article, we discuss recent advances in GBM-SC biology, mechanisms through which these cells adapt to hostile conditions, pharmacological strategies for selectively killing GBM-SCs, and how novel CSC-associated endpoints have been investigated in the clinical setting.
AB - Despite therapeutic advances, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) remains a lethal disease. The infiltrative nature of this disease and the presence of a cellular population resistant to current medical treatments account for the poor prognosis of these patients. Growing evidence indicates the existence of a fraction of cancer cells sharing the functional properties of adult stem cells, including self-renewal and a greater ability to escape chemo-radiotherapy-induced death stimuli. Therefore, these cells are commonly defined as cancer stem cells (GBM-SCs). The initial GBM-SC concept has been challenged, and refined according to the emerging molecular taxonomy of GBM. This allowed to postulate the existence of multiple CSC types, each one driving a given molecular entity. Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly clear that GBM-SCs thrive through a dynamic and bidirectional interaction with the surrounding microenvironment. In this article, we discuss recent advances in GBM-SC biology, mechanisms through which these cells adapt to hostile conditions, pharmacological strategies for selectively killing GBM-SCs, and how novel CSC-associated endpoints have been investigated in the clinical setting.
KW - Cancer stem cells
KW - Canonical pathway inhibitors
KW - Chemo-radioresistance
KW - Differentiation-inducing agents
KW - Glioblastoma multiforme
KW - Hypoxia
KW - Self-renewal pathway inhibitors
KW - Stem cell-based endpoints
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84890723104&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84890723104&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fonc.2013.00006
DO - 10.3389/fonc.2013.00006
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84890723104
VL - 3 JAN
JO - Frontiers in Oncology
JF - Frontiers in Oncology
SN - 2234-943X
M1 - Article 00006
ER -