title: [Tumor stem cell research - basis and challenge for diagnosis and therapy].
abstract: Biological features of tumor cells relevant to progression, metastasis, and prognosis in cancer patients have been investigated for many years. During the past few years, the concept of tumor stem cells has gained widespread acceptance. The cancer stem cell (CSC) model is based on the observation that continuous growth of tumors depends on a small population of immature neoplastic cells with unlimited proliferative potential. In contrast to these CSC, more mature clonal cells in the same neoplasm undergo apoptosis and die after a variable number of cell divisions. The self-renewal capacity of CSC plays a central role in this scenario and enables permanent tumor cell repopulation in vivo in patients as well as in experimental animals, e.g., immunodeficient mice. Based on the stem cell concept, it is clear that the success of an anti-neoplastic approach depends on efficient targeting and elimination of CSC. An important aspect of CSC is their intrinsic resistance against conventional drugs. Therefore, a major focus in current research is molecular targets and their expression in CSC, with the goal to use targeted drugs for CSC elimination. It is the hope for the future that therapeutic approaches involving CSC-targeting concepts will lead to sustained remission and thus improvement of prognosis in leukemia and cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Ludwig Boltzmann Cluster Oncology (LBI for Leukemia Research), Hanusch Hospital, Vienna, Austria. heidrun.karlic@meduniwien.ac.at
authors.forename: Heidrun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Karlic
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Herrmann
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schulenburg
authors.forename: Thomas W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Grunt
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Laffer
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mirkina
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hubmann
authors.forename: Medhat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shehata
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Marian
authors.forename: Edgar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Selzer
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pfeilstöcker
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pittermann
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Jäger
authors.forename: Hubert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pehamberger
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zielinski
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Valent
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D014410:Tumor Stem Cell Assay
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents