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Cancer-Initiating Cells in Colorectal Cancer

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Book cover Metastasis of Colorectal Cancer

Part of the book series: Cancer Metastasis - Biology and Treatment ((CMBT,volume 14))

Abstract

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer (men and women combined) in the US and Canada. The mainstay of treatment remains surgical resection and although new agents are constantly emerging to treat colorectal cancer, to date none of the agents have been successful at curing patients with advanced disease. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the notion that cancers are organized as a hierarchy with the cancer-initiating cell (C-IC or cancer stem cell) existing at the apex. The C-ICs only represent a subset of the total tumour cells, however, research indicates that they are responsible for both the initiation and maintenance of tumour growth. This chapter will focus on the current state of knowledge in the colorectal C-IC (CC-IC) field, commencing with a summary of the cell surface markers that have been utilized to isolate these cells. The identification of CC-ICs has also led to a number of questions being raised in the field including whether or not they play a role in chemoresistance and metastasis. Lastly, this chapter will also address the challenges that the CC-IC field faces and the approaches being utilized to better understand these cells and determine their clinical relevance.

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Abbreviations

ALDH:

Aldehyde dehydrogenase

AML:

Acute myelogenous leukemia

Apc/Min:

Adenomatous polyposis coli/multiple intestinal neoplasia

C-IC:

Cancer-initiating cell

CC-IC:

Colorectal C-IC

CPA:

Cyclophosphamide

CSC:

Cancer stem cell

CXC:

Chemokine C-X-C motif

CXCR:

Chemokine C-X-C motif receptor

EpCAM:

Epithelial cell adhesion molecule

HIF2α:

Hypoxia-inducible factor 2α

IHC:

Immunohistochemistry

IL-4:

Interleukin-4

LDA:

Limiting dilution assay

Lgr5:

Leucine-rich-repeat containing G-protein-coupled receptor 5

LSC:

Leukemia stem cell

MFSE:

Mammosphere formation efficiency

NOD/SCID:

Non-obese diabetic/severe combined immune-deficient

PED:

Phosphoprotein enriched in diabetes

Prom:

Prominin

Pten:

Phosphatase tensin homolog

SDF-1:

Stromal derived growth factor 1

VEGF:

Vascular endothelial growth factor

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the advice and expertise of Dr. John Dick and all the members of the Dick lab for their advice and expertise.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Antonija Kreso

  2. Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Liane Gibson & Catherine Adell O’Brien

  3. Division of General Surgery, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Catherine Adell O’Brien

  4. Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Catherine Adell O’Brien

Authors
  1. Antonija Kreso
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  2. Liane Gibson
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  3. Catherine Adell O’Brien
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Correspondence to Catherine Adell O’Brien .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Rosalind & Morris Goodman Cancer, Research Centre, McGill University, Promenade Sir William Osler 3655, Montreal, H3G 1Y6, Canada

    Nicole Beauchemin

  2. Hôpital L’Hôtel-Dieu de Québec, Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie, Université Laval, rue McMahon 9, Quebec, G1R 2J6, Canada

    Jacques Huot

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Kreso, A., Gibson, L., O’Brien, C.A. (2010). Cancer-Initiating Cells in Colorectal Cancer. In: Beauchemin, N., Huot, J. (eds) Metastasis of Colorectal Cancer. Cancer Metastasis - Biology and Treatment, vol 14. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-8833-8_5

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