At the crossroads of cancer stem cells and targeted therapy resistance.
Small-molecule targeted therapy (TT) has brought great hopes to patients with advanced malignancies. However, most patients suffer from tumor progression and relapse due to drug resistance. Recently, considerable efforts trying to elucidate the underlying mechanisms have focused on the contribution of cancer stem cells (CSCs) to the targeted therapy resistance (TTR). In this article, we provide an overview of the currently available literature on the rising roles of CSCs in TTR, as well as therapeutic opportunities of combining TT and anti-CSC therapy in the treatment of advanced malignancies.
Department of Urology, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, 200003, China.
Anbang
A
Wang
Department of Urology, Jinling Hospital, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210002, China. Electronic address: septsoul@hotmail.com.
Le
L
Qu
Department of Urology, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, 200003, China. Electronic address: wanglinhuicz@163.com.
Linhui
L
Wang
D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D006801:Humans; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D010641:Phenotype
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents
Anti-CSC therapy; Cancer stem cells; Combinational therapy; Targeted therapy; Targeted therapy resistance