title: Primitive origins of prostate cancer: in vivo evidence for prostate-regenerating cells and prostate cancer-initiating cells.
abstract: Tissue stem cells have been linked to cancers of epithelial origin including the prostate. There are three relevant issues concerning stem cells and cancer that rely solely on functional studies: 1. Are there tissue-regenerating stem cells in the adult organ? 2. Can tissue-regenerating cells serve as targets for transformation? 3. Do primary tumors contain tumor-propagating (cancer stem) cells? We will review the recent literature with respect to these critical issues to provide a direct link between primitive cells and prostate cancer.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1662, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Goldstein
authors.forename: Tanya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stoyanova
authors.forename: Owen N
authors.initials: ON
authors.lastname: Witte
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011467:Prostate / Q000166:cytology*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology