title: Medulloblastoma stem cells: Promising targets in medulloblastoma therapy.
abstract: Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common malignant pediatric brain tumor. Despite great improvements in the therapeutic regimen, relapse and leptomeningeal dissemination still pose great challenges to the long-term survival of MB patients. Developing more effective strategies has become extremely urgent. In recent years, a number of malignancies, including MB, have been found to contain a subpopulation of cancer cells known as cancer stem cells (CSCs), or tumor initiating/propagating cells. The CSCs are thought to be largely responsible for tumor initiation, maintenance, dissemination, and relapse; therefore, their pivotal roles have revealed them to be promising targets in MB therapy. Our growing understanding of the major medulloblastoma molecular subgroups and the derivation of some of these groups from specific stem or progenitor cells adds additional layers to the CSC knowledge base. Herein we review the current knowledge of MB stem cells, highlight the molecular mechanisms relating to MB relapse and leptomeningeal dissemination, and incorporate these with the need to develop more effective and accurate therapies for MB patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Guo-Hao
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Qing-Fu
authors.initials: QF
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology and Southwest Cancer Center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: You-Hong
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: Division of Neuropathology and Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Ningning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology and Southwest Cancer Center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Xiu-Wu
authors.initials: XW
authors.lastname: Bian
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Sheng-Qing
authors.initials: SQ
authors.lastname: Lv
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002469:Cell Separation; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008527:Medulloblastoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D008577:Meningeal Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D015398:Signal Transduction
keywords: Cancer stem cells; medulloblastoma; medulloblastoma stem cells; stemness; therapeutic resistance