肿瘤干细胞与肿瘤治疗

Tumor Stem Cells and Tumor Therapy

肿瘤可看作是由功能异质性的细胞群体所组成的,具有不定增殖能力的异常器官。最近提出的肿瘤干细胞学说认为肿瘤起源于干细胞,肿瘤生长是肿瘤组织中极少量具有特殊细胞表面标志的肿瘤干细胞增殖的结果。因此治疗的关键应是针对肿瘤干细胞,通过靶向肿瘤干细胞及其异常调节的信号转导通路来治疗肿瘤。这对传统的治疗方式提出了巨大挑战,也为有效地根治肿瘤开辟了新的思路。

Tumors can be viewed as an abnormal organ which comprise a heterogenous population of cells with marked difference in their proliferative potential and the ability to reconstitute the tumor upon transplantation. The implication of the cancer stem- cell hypothesis is that tumor origins from the stem cells,and is a disease of stem cells. The growth of tumor is the result of a minor population of cancer stem cells＇ which have the special cell surface mark. Therefore the key of tumor treatment should aim at the cancer stem cells. This new model of cancer is a huge challenge to the traditional cancer treatments, and cancer stem cell therapy could indeed be a shining light on the cancer research borizon.