title: Thyroid tumor-initiating cells: increasing evidence and opportunities for anticancer therapy (review).
abstract: Accumulating evidence supports the notion that thyroid cancer is initiated by tumor-initiating cells (TICs) (commonly known as cancer stem cells), which are thought to play a crucial role in malignant progression, therapeutic resistance and recurrence. Thyroid TICs have been isolated and identified using specific biomarkers (such as CD133), the side population, sphere formation and aldehyde dehydrogenase activity assays. Although their characteristics remain largely unknown, TICs provide an attractive cellular mechanism to explain therapeutic refractoriness. Efforts are currently being directed toward the identification of therapeutic strategies that could target these cells. The present review discusses the cellular origins of TICs and the main approaches used to isolate and identify thyroid TICs, with a focus on the remaining challenges and opportunities for anticancer therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yong-Ju
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Henan Provincial People's Hospital and the People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450003, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Henan Provincial People's Hospital and the People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450003, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xin-Yu
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Henan Provincial People's Hospital and the People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450003, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jian-Kui
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D006801:Humans; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors / Q000378:metabolism; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C497483:CD44 protein, human; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors; D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase