CSCs and their effects

By: Ashley Contreras 

About eighteen years ago, my grandmother lost her battle with cancer and though I did not have a chance to meet her, I have seen what this disease does to patients and loved ones. Cancer does not discriminate against race, gender, or age. It can happen to anyone and it’s a very powerful disease but with a lot of medical attention could in fact  be cured. Have you ever asked yourself why some cancers some patients survive while others fight and fight but they lose their battle no matter what treatment is used? Well in recent research it has been discovered that Cancer Stem Cell (CSC)-specific phenotypes and mechanisms that relate to functions in tumorigenicity, cancer progression, and therapeutic resistance have been identified. The article “The therapeutic promise of the cancer stem Cell Concept,” by Natasha Frank, Tobias Schatton and Markus Frank, states that CSC,  cells that “possess tumor initiation and self renewal abilities correlate with malignant disease progression.” They tend to accelerate malignancy --becoming cancerous-- and because of these CSCs present, the current therapies are failing. With this new information we are now able to further research CSCs and find a way improve our cancer therapies.

“Tumorigenic populations fulfilling the definition of CSCs have been identified in a number of human cancers, including leukemias (23-28), bladder cancer (29), breast cancer (30), CNS cancers (31), colon carcinoma (32-34), head and neck cancer (35), ovarian cancer (36), pancreatic cancer (37, 38), malignant melanoma (13), liver cancer (39), and Ewing sarcoma (40).” (article).  Because it deals with many different types of cancers our awareness about these cells should be broadened. Now there is a therapeutic promise in the CSC concept. Scientist are predict that cures will require suppression of all cells within the cancer. They not only have to focus on eliminating “bulk cancer populations” but also now they know to target the CSCs . In order to target these cell they are using approaches that include “direct strategies, such as ablation by targeting molecular markers of CSCs or CSC-specific pathways, reversal of resistance mechanisms, and differentiation therapy, and indirect strategies, such as antiangiogenic therapy, immunotherapeutic approaches, and disruption of protumorigenic nteractions between CSCs and their microenvironment.”  (article)
   
    With more technological advances and the constant information being discovered, cancer being one of the leading causes of deaths can be cured more efficiently and permanently. It is amazing how much science has discovered within the last few decades. Hopefully scientist will continue to research in more depth the cancer stem cells and find cures for all types of cancers.