Cancer Stem Cells and Treatment of Cancer: An Update and Future Perspectives

Title:Cancer Stem Cells and Treatment of Cancer: An Update and Future Perspectives

Volume: 19 Issue: 10

Author(s): Mudassir Khan, Mashal Naeem, Sana Aftab Chaudary, Affan Ahmed and Aftab Ahmed*

Affiliation:

• School of Biological Sciences, Punjab University, Lahore, Pakistan

Keywords: Cancer stem cells, cancer treatment, cancer remission, conventional treatments, tumour recurrence, therapy resistance .

Abstract: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) play an essential role in tumour progression and metastasis. Stem cell ability of self-renewal enables it to persist over time, thereby contributing to cancer relapse or recurrence and also resistance to current therapies. Therefore, targeting CSCs emerged as a promising strategy of cancer treatment. CSCs exhibit differentiation, self-renewal, and plasticity, they contribute to formation of malignant tumours, also favors, metastasis, heterogeneity, multidrug resistance, and radiation resistance. Coventional cancer treatments predominantly target cancer cells that are not CSCs, CSCs frequently survive, eventually leading to relapse. This article focuses on the development of novel therapeutic strategies that combine conventional treatments and CSC inhibitors to eradicate cancer cells and CSCs, for the better and permanent treatment. However, the diversity of CSCs is a significant obstacle in the development of CSC-targeted therapies, necessitating extensive research for a better understanding and exploration of therapeutic approaches. Future development of CSC-targeted therapies will rely heavily on overcoming this obstacle.

Cite this article as:

Khan Mudassir, Naeem Mashal, Chaudary Aftab Sana, Ahmed Affan and Ahmed Aftab*, Cancer Stem Cells and Treatment of Cancer: An Update and Future Perspectives, Current Stem Cell Research & Therapy 2024; 19 (10) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/011574888X247548230921063514