title: Clinical perspectives of cancer stem cell research in radiation oncology.
abstract: Radiotherapy has a proven potential to eradicate cancer stem cells which is reflected by its curative potential in many cancer types. Considerable progress has been made in identification and biological characterisation of cancer stem cells during the past years. Recent biological findings indicate significant inter- and intratumoural and functional heterogeneity of cancer stem cells and lead to more complex models which have potential implications for radiobiology and radiotherapy. Clinical evidence is emerging that biomarkers of cancer stem cells may be prognostic for the outcome of radiotherapy in some tumour entities. Perspectives of cancer stem cell based research for radiotherapy reviewed here include their radioresistance compared to the mass of non-cancer stem cells which form the bulk of all tumour cells, implications for image- and non-image based predictive bio-assays of the outcome of radiotherapy and a combination of novel systemic treatments with radiotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Germany; OncoRay National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Germany; Institute of Radiation Oncology, (a-b)Medical Faculty and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Germany, (b-c)Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden -Rossendorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bütof
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dubrovska
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baumann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000532:radiotherapy; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000528:radiation effects*; D011836:Radiation Tolerance; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy
keywords: Cancer stem cells; Radiation oncology; Radiobiology