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An Insight on Colon Cancer Stem Cells and Its Therapeutic Implications

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Handbook of Oncobiology: From Basic to Clinical Sciences

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Abstract

Colon cancer stem cells are a group of cells in a tumor that can reproduce themselves and change into different types of cells. They are thought to cause tumors to initiate, grow, and become resistant to treatment. Because of this, focusing on the stem cells of colon cancer has become an appealing way to develop new cancer treatments. In the past few years, a number of therapies that target colon cancer stem cells have been found. These therapies are thought to work by inhibiting various signaling pathways that are important for stem cells to self-renew. Reports say that some therapies target the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, which is often involved in the stem cells of people with colon cancer. Other therapies target the Notch signaling system, which is also a key part of stem cells’ ability to self-renew. Even with these advances, there is still a necessity for to develop new treatments that specifically target colon cancer stem cells. This insight talks about recent improvements of the molecular processes that give colon cancer stem cells their traits, as well as possible ways to treat these cells. It also talks about the current state of drug development in this area, including the development of small molecule inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, and immunotherapies that target colon cancer stem cells. Further, it discusses some of the challenges and opportunities that exist in the development of effective drugs that can specifically target colon cancer stem cells, as well as the future directions of research in this area.

Consent for Publication: All authors have approved the final version of the manuscript and gave consent for publication.

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Author notes

  1. The study was designed, and the manuscript was written by PGS, AD, AE, DD, and reviewed and edited by ADR, SP and AB.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute (CHRI), Chettinad Academy of Research and Education (CARE), Kelambakkam, Tamil Nadu, India

    Pournami Gopan S, Alakesh Das, Dikshita Deka, Surajit Pathak & Antara Banerjee

  2. Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Akanksha Esmeeta

  3. Department of Nutrition, Institute of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Asim K. Duttaroy

Authors
  1. Pournami Gopan S
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  2. Alakesh Das
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  3. Akanksha Esmeeta
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  4. Dikshita Deka
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  5. Asim K. Duttaroy
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  6. Surajit Pathak
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  7. Antara Banerjee
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Antara Banerjee .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Biotechnology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, Chandigarh, India

    R. C. Sobti

  2. NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Translational Health Sci & Tech Inst, Faridabad, Haryana, India

    Nirmal K. Ganguly

  3. Cancer Research Institute, Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, Swami Rama Himalayan University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India

    Rakesh Kumar

Section Editor information

  1. University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), UGC Center for Advanced Study, Panjab University, Chandigarh, Panjab, India

    Anil Kumar

  2. Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shoolini University, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India

    Deepak Kumar

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Gopan S, P. et al. (2024). An Insight on Colon Cancer Stem Cells and Its Therapeutic Implications. In: Sobti, R.C., Ganguly, N.K., Kumar, R. (eds) Handbook of Oncobiology: From Basic to Clinical Sciences. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-6263-1_63

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