Hallmarks of cancer stemness
- Cell Stem Cell. 2024 May 2;31(5):617-639. doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2024.04.004.
Affiliations
- 1. School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
- 2. School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong SAR, China; Centre for Translational and Stem Cell Biology, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong SAR, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 38701757
DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2024.04.004
Abstract
Cancer stemness is recognized as a key component of tumor development. Previously coined "cancer stem cells" (CSCs) and believed to be a rare population with rigid hierarchical organization, there is good evidence to suggest that these cells exhibit a plastic cellular state influenced by dynamic CSC-niche interplay. This revelation underscores the need to reevaluate the hallmarks of Cancer stemness. Herein, we summarize the techniques used to identify and characterize the state of these cells and discuss their defining and emerging hallmarks, along with their enabling and associated features. We also highlight potential future directions in this field of research.
Keywords
cancer cell plasticity; cancer stem cells; cancer stemness; immunosuppression; metastasis; self-renewal; tumor microenvironment; tumor recurrence; tumor-initiating cells.