title: [Cancer therapy targeting cancer stem cell].
abstract: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) represent a subpopulation of tumour cells endowed with self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation capacity. Clinically, drug resistance is the most important feature, because CSCs resist conventional cancer therapies and are involved in relapse. Therefore, major clinical challenges towards the complete eradication of minimal residual cancer are likely to target CSCs. Several molecules have been investigated as a target: specific signal transduction, cell surface marker, and microenviromental factors. Several drugs (salinomycin, metformin) have been also identified by chemical screening. For clinical use, however, more precise molecular mechanisms remain to be clarified.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsujii
mesh_terms: D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects