Abstract
In the past decade, the hypothesis of tumor-initiating cell (TIC) or cancer stem cell (CSC)-driven tumorigenesis has been widely acknowledged in both hematological malignancies as well as solid epithelial tumors. In this chapter, we will first review in detail the current scientific knowledge in CSC research in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the molecular machinery underlying CSC-driven hepatocarcinogenesis. We will then discuss the relevance of liver cancer stem cells to the diagnosis and treatment of the disease and finally, consider the outstanding challenges and potential opportunities that remain ahead of us.
Kwan Ho Tang and Stephanie Ma contributed equally to this work.
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Tang, K.H., Ma, S., Guan, XY. (2012). Liver Tumor-Initiating Cells/Cancer Stem Cells: Past Studies, Current Status, and Future Perspectives. In: Scatena, R., Mordente, A., Giardina, B. (eds) Advances in Cancer Stem Cell Biology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-0809-3_11
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