Cancer stem cell

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Cancer stem cells can survive chemotherapy and regenerate the tumor

Cancer stem cells or tumor stem cells are the central element of a theory on the development of cancer first established in 1997 . They occur in tumors , have typical stem cell properties such as self-renewal and differentiation potential and are possibly responsible for tumor growth. It is also believed that they are resistant to some therapies and thus lead to relapses and metastases .

In various types of blood cancer (leukemia) in particular , it was discovered that few cancer cells - so-called cancer stem cells  - are responsible for growth. Other cancer cells make up the majority of the mass of malignant cells , but do not contribute to the malignancy of the disease to the same extent. What is particularly interesting is that some cancer stem cells resist common chemotherapy treatments . This resistance could explain why tumors first disappear after such therapy, but often reappear later. A therapy that specifically targets cancer stem cells could improve the chances of recovery.

Origin and meaning

The relatively new and controversial concept of tumor stem cells goes back to the Canadian researchers Dominique Bonnet and John Dick . According to them, tumor stem cells may represent the origin of cancer and also ensure the resistance of malignant tumors and the frequent recurrences . The hypothesis has not yet been verified because it has not yet been possible to isolate the stem cells.

The concept is of interest with regard to a possible therapy for cancer diseases. For example, the tumor stem cell suppressive effect of various substances was examined in one study. For this purpose, cells with stem cell properties were first experimentally generated in vitro from breast cancer cells. These cancer cells were genetically modified in such a way that they changed from normal epithelial cells to mesenchymal cells (see also epithelial mesenchymal transition ). Mesenchymal cells have the ability to migrate , which is a characteristic of cancer cells. In a second step, 16,000 different substances were tested, 32 of which were able to kill the experimentally generated "tumor stem cells", including the antibiotic substance salinomycin . The exact mechanism of action has not been clarified. The possibility of clinical application in humans is also still completely unclear.

In 2012, some independent research provided additional evidence of cancer stem cells in tumors of the brain, skin and intestines.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ D. Bonnet, JE Dick: Human acute myeloid leukemia is organized as a hierarchy that originates from a primitive hematopoietic cell. In: Nature medicine . Volume 3, Number 7, July 1997, pp. 730-737, ISSN  1078-8956 . PMID 9212098 .
  2. ↑ PB Gupta, TT Onder et al. a .: Identification of selective inhibitors of cancer stem cells by high-throughput screening. In: Cell . Volume 138, Number 4, August 2009, pp. 645-659, ISSN  1097-4172 . doi: 10.1016 / j.cell.2009.06.034 . PMID 19682730 .
  3. ↑ Breast cancer: For the first time, active ingredient against tumor stem cells. ( Memento of the original from November 23, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Deutsches Ärzteblatt , August 14, 2009 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.aerzteblatt.de
  4. ↑ New evidence of cancer stem cells . In: Deutsches Ärzteblatt , accessed on August 3, 2012
  5. ↑ Cancer stem cells could fuel tumor growth . Spiegel Online , accessed August 3, 2012.
  6. ↑ Gerlinde Felix: Wolves in Sheep's Clothing . In: Stuttgarter Zeitung , August 2, 2012, accessed on August 3, 2012.