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Cancer Stem Cells, the Tipping Point: Minority Rules?

  • Mathematical Models of Stem Cell Behavior (M Kohandel, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Putative studies continue to support the assertion of the cancer stem cell (CSC) hypothesis, namely that a very small subgroup of a malignant tumor population initiates and drives tumor growth. These cells are purported to possess similar biological properties to their normal adult stem cell counterparts. The CSC hypothesis arises from the observation that tumors like normal tissues have their origin in cells that display potential for self-renewal as well as the ability to generate differentiated cells of various lineages. In addition, CSCs have developed basic characteristics that enable them to evade the effects of standard therapies and these may in fact underlie the mechanisms leading to chemo-resistance and tumor relapse.

Recent Findings

In recent years, mathematical and computational modeling have emerged as powerful tools in biomedical research that can be used to study biological systems at multiple scales ranging from molecular processes to cell-cell interactions and how these interactions lead to changes at tissue and organ levels. In addition to accelerating biomedical research through computational simulation of physical experiments, modeling can also be used to guide experimentalists by identifying possible factors and mechanisms underlying the particular problem being studied; this in turn may suggest physical experiments that eventually lead to the resolution of this very problem.

Summary

In this paper, we review mathematical models that explore the role of CSCs in treatment response, in developing chemo and radio resistance, as well as those that suggest new treatment strategies. In addition, mathematical models that focus on optimal therapeutic protocols will also be discussed.

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Acknowledgements

(SS) is grateful for financial support provided by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) through a Discovery grant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada

    Farinaz Forouzannia & Sivabal Sivaloganathan

  2. Center for Mathematical Medicine, Fields Institute, Toronto, ON, M5T 3J1, Canada

    Sivabal Sivaloganathan

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  1. Farinaz Forouzannia
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  2. Sivabal Sivaloganathan
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Correspondence to Farinaz Forouzannia.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Mathematical Models of Stem Cell Behavior

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Forouzannia, F., Sivaloganathan, S. Cancer Stem Cells, the Tipping Point: Minority Rules?. Curr Stem Cell Rep 3, 240–247 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40778-017-0095-3

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