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Cancer Stem-Like Cells

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Encyclopedia of Cancer

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Synonyms

Tumor-initiating cells

Definition

Cancer stem(-like) cells are those cells that possess the capacity for self-renewal and for causing the heterogeneous lineages of cancer cells that comprise the tumor.

Characteristics

The definition follows a consensus at a workshop on cancer stem(-like) cells (CSC) organized by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). There is considerable debate and some controversy on the CSC concept, so that a consensus definition is required. The importance of the debate is proportional to its relevance to the change in our perception of cancer, intrinsic to the CSC paradigm, implying that not all cancer cells are equal but that only a small fraction of them is endowed with the properties of perpetuating the disease. This hierarchical model has not only important biological consequences but also relevant therapeutic implications, as we discuss in this essay.

The CSC paradigm fits in a model of cancer as a caricature of an organ that is already...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unit of Experimental Neuro-Oncology, Istituto Nazionale Neurologico Besta, Milan, Italy

    Gaetano Finocchiaro

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  1. Gaetano Finocchiaro
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Correspondence to Gaetano Finocchiaro .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Abt. Tumorgenetik, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg, Germany

    Manfred Schwab

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Finocchiaro, G. (2014). Cancer Stem-Like Cells. In: Schwab, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Cancer. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_816-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_816-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27841-9

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