title: Tumour stem cells and drug resistance.
abstract: The contribution of tumorigenic stem cells to haematopoietic cancers has been established for some time, and cells possessing stem-cell properties have been described in several solid tumours. Although chemotherapy kills most cells in a tumour, it is believed to leave tumour stem cells behind, which might be an important mechanism of resistance. For example, the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) drug transporters have been shown to protect cancer stem cells from chemotherapeutic agents. Gaining a better insight into the mechanisms of stem-cell resistance to chemotherapy might therefore lead to new therapeutic targets and better anticancer strategies.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Genomic Diversity, National Cancer Institute-Frederick, Frederick, Maryland 21702, USA. dean@ncifcrf.gov
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dean
authors.forename: Tito
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fojo
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bates
mesh_terms: D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D019070:Cell Lineage; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D023421:Models, Animal; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators