title: Isolation and characterization of cancer stem cells in renal cell carcinoma.
abstract: Recently, several studies have investigated the presence of cancer stem cells in kidney cancer, performed characterization, and compared their profile with the normal stem cell counterparts. CD133, alone or in combination with other molecular markers, has been used to isolate normal and cancer stem cells from different sources, including renal carcinoma; however, it is still a matter of debate whether CD133+ cells really represent the main tumorigenic population within the heterogeneous pool of cancer cells that characterize this tumor. In this review, we summarize and discuss the current findings related to cancer stem cells isolation in renal cell carcinoma, focusing on controversies about their origin and the identification of a specific marker.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation - Urology, Andrology and Kidney Transplantation Unit, University of Bari, Bari - Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lucarelli
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Galleggiante
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rutigliano
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vavallo
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ditonno
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Battaglia
mesh_terms: D000071916:AC133 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000473:pathology*; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000473:pathology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D000071916:AC133 Antigen; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C000606023:PROM1 protein, human