title: Targeting Signaling Pathways in Cancer Stem Cells for Cancer Treatment.
abstract: The Wnt, Hedgehog, and Notch pathways are inherent signaling pathways in normal embryogenesis, development, and hemostasis. However, dysfunctions of these pathways are evident in multiple tumor types and malignancies. Specifically, aberrant activation of these pathways is implicated in modulation of cancer stem cells (CSCs), a small subset of cancer cells capable of self-renewal and differentiation into heterogeneous tumor cells. The CSCs are accountable for tumor initiation, growth, and recurrence. In this review, we focus on roles of Wnt, Hedgehog, and Notch pathways in CSCs' stemness and functions and summarize therapeutic studies targeting these pathways to eliminate CSCs and improve overall cancer treatment outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Graduate College of Biomedical Sciences, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA 91766, USA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7368-4891
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Koury
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding, Hebei, China; Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.affiliation: Graduate College of Biomedical Sciences, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA 91766, USA; College of Veterinary Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA 91766, USA.
authors.forename: Jijun
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6769-9069
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hao