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Stem Cells and Human Diseases pp 581–591Cite as

Plasticity of Cancer Stem Cells

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Abstract

Cancer stem cell (CSC), also named cancer initiating cells and cancer propagating cells, are cancer cells that are highly undifferentiated and drive cancer growth in vivo. CSCs represent important targets for developing novel anti-cancer therapies, because they are highly tumorigenic and frequently resistant to traditional treatments. CSCs share many characteristics with normal stem cells such as self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation capacity. CSCs were once thought to be a defined subpopulation in a given cancer samples. However, recent research has identified unexpected plasticity of CSCs. Through differentiation and dedifferentiation processes, CSC and non-stem cancer cell status are interchangeable. Also, CSCs may transdifferentiate into other cell lineages to help tumor growth. The plasticity of CSC is primarily controlled by tumor microenvironment signals. Those discoveries underline the importance of studying the interaction between CSC and its microenvironment, which may lead to identification of novel drug candidates in treating relapsing malignancies.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Researches, 100 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    Zhizhong Li Ph.D.

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  1. Zhizhong Li Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Zhizhong Li Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Rainbow Blvd 3901, Kansas City, 66160, Kansas, USA

    Rakesh Srivastava

  2. , Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Rainbow Blvd 3901, Kansas City, 66160, Kansas, USA

    Sharmila Shankar

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Li, Z. (2012). Plasticity of Cancer Stem Cells. In: Srivastava, R., Shankar, S. (eds) Stem Cells and Human Diseases. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2801-1_26

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