Cancer Stem Cells

A remarkable paradigm shift has occurred in recent years regarding the biological origins of cancer. The cancer stem cell hypothesis challenged the foundational notions of cancer, and the therapeutic implications have been profound. Compelling evidence indicates that errors in the development of a small subset of adult stem cells can lead to cancer. Only this small sub-population of cells has the inherent ability to form tumours and metastasize. This book discusses the emerging field of cancer stem cell research, with contributions from leading experts on the basic biology, genetic pathways, and potentials for therapeutic targeting of cancer stem cells. It also covers clinical challenges for these new discoveries, namely, that cancer stem cells might be resistant to conventional chemotherapeutic and radiological treatments and may be at the biological core of relapse and therapeutic resistance. This book is an essential concise guide to the latest discoveries and therapies in cancer research. "A succinct analysis of the concept of cancer stem cells (CSCs) in the context of basic and clinical science. The book describes important areas of cancer stem cell research including such topics as isolation and purification of CSCs, signaling pathways involved during self renewal, and pluripotency of these cells, as well as molecular approaches that may be employed to potentially target these pathways...Well written and describes in a general fashion the concepts necessary for basic comprehension of the biology and clinical relevancy of CSCs research. Most of the color illustrations are clear and useful in summarizing the important aspects of CSC research discussed in the text." --Doody's Review ServicePreface William L. Farrar; 1. Purification and characterization of cancer stem cells Elaine M. Hurt and William L. Farrar; 2. Prostate cancer stem cells Collene R. Jeter and Dean G. Tang; 3. Melanoma cancer stem cells Alexander Roesch and Meenhard Herlyn; 4. Mammospheres and breast carcinoma Massimiliano Bonafe; 5. Preventative and therapeutic strategies for cancer stem cells Stewart Sell and Gennadi Glinsky; 6. Targeting AML stem cells Monica L. Guzman, Gerrit J. Schuurhuis, and Craig T. Jordan; 7. Plasticity of multi-potent tumor cells and ES cells Lynne-Marie Postovit, Naira V. Margaryan, Elisabeth A. Seftor, Luigi Strizzi, Richard E. B. Seftor, and Mary J. C. Hendrix; 8. Hedgehog and GLI signaling in cancer Fritz Aberger; 9. Targeting notch signaling pathway in cancer stem cells Joon T. Park, Ie-Ming Shih, and Tian-Li Wang; 10. WNT-Beta catenin signaling in cancer Stephen Byers, Michael Pishvaian, Lopa Mishra, and Robert Glazer.