title: Collateral damage control in cancer therapy: defining the stem identity in gliomas.
abstract: The discovery of discrete functional components in cancer systems advocates a paradigm shift in therapeutic design towards the targeted destruction of critical cellular constituents that fuel tumorigenic potential. In astrocytomas, malignant growth can be propagated and sustained by glioma stem cells (GSCs) endowed with highly efficient clonogenic and tumor initiation capacities. Given their disproportionate oncogenic contribution, GSCs are often considered the optimal targets for curative treatment because their eradication may subvert the refractory nature of GBMs. However, the close affinity of GSCs and normal neural stem cells (NSCs) is a cautionary note for off-target effects of GSC-based therapies. In fact, many parallels can be drawn between GSC and NSC functions, which ostensibly rely on a communal collection of stem cell-promoting transcription factors (TFs). Only through rigorous scrutiny of nuances in the stemness program of GSCs and NSCs may we clarify the pathogenic mechanisms of stemness factors and reveal processes exploited by cancer cells to co-opt stem cell traits. Importantly, discerning the specific requirements for GSC and NSC maintenance may be an essential requisite when assessing molecular targets for discriminatory targeting of GSCs with minimal sequelae.
authors.affiliation: Arizona Cancer Center, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA. dhs.zfs@gmail.com
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hsieh
mesh_terms: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use / Q000633:toxicity; D000818:Animals; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D019070:Cell Lineage; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D014157:Transcription Factors; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A