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The Role of Stem Cells in Colorectal Cancer Carcinogenesis and Treatment

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Book cover Digestive System Diseases

Part of the book series: Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine ((STEMCELL))

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Abstract

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are the cancer cells that are responsible for initiation, progression, metastasis, therapy resistance and recurrence in various cancers, including colorectal cancer. The aim of this chapter is to discuss the mechanisms responsible for these effects in colorectal cancer. Intrinsic factors, including increased activation of drug-efflux pumps, enhancing the capacity of DNA damage repair, dysregulation of growth and developmental signalling pathways, alterations of cellular metabolisms, environmental niche and impaired apoptotic response, attributed colorectal CSCs in their resistance to the adjuvant chemoradiotherapy to cancer. From the findings from translational research, CSCs profiles in patients with colorectal cancer could act as prognostic markers, which in turn reinforced the importance of CSCs in the carcinogenesis of colorectal cancer. Therefore, development of strategies targeting CSCs via inhibiting self-renewal signalling pathways or their components, blocking drug transporters and specific surface markers, inducing differentiation, boosting CSCs specific immune response and destroying their microenvironment in cancer has multifocal effects. These may exhibit better interference with the cancer and lead to improvement in treatment of patients with colorectal cancer. In summary, understanding and research of all these mechanisms of cancer stem cells could play in the improvement of the management of patients with CRC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cancer Molecular Pathology, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia

    Farhadul Islam, Vinod Gopalan & Alfred King-yin Lam

  2. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh

    Farhadul Islam

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  1. Farhadul Islam
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  2. Vinod Gopalan
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Correspondence to Alfred King-yin Lam .

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  1. Laboratory of Biology, Medical School National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Maria Gazouli

  2. First Department of Propaedeutic Surgery, Hippocratio General Hospital, Medical School National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    George E. Theodoropoulos

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Islam, F., Gopalan, V., Lam, A.Ky. (2019). The Role of Stem Cells in Colorectal Cancer Carcinogenesis and Treatment. In: Gazouli, M., Theodoropoulos, G. (eds) Digestive System Diseases. Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. Humana Press, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11965-2_6

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