Cancer stem cells may originate from normal stem cells, progenitor cells or from differentiated cells that revert to a stem-like phenotype. Under certain pressures such as therapy induce pressure the cell stems will potentiate the production of new cells that can be inherently resistance to the treatment that would be used4
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Cancer stem cell is known to have the ability to self-renew and maintain the tumor. Laboratory research have shown that in several forms of are human cancers, only a minority subpopulation of cancer cells are able to form new tumors when transplanted into immunodeficient mice.
Cancer stem have been identified from various solid tumor including breast, colorectal, …show more content…
Cancer stem cells have the ability to self-renew and differentiate into various cell types7, 8. Glioblastoma (GBMs) are the most common and leathal brain tumor resection, adjuvant chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy. The major problems of these malignancies are their highly infiltrative nature and extreme resistance to conventional treatments. A new approach to treat glioblastoma proposes targeting cancer stem cell8
In 2005, the chemotherapy temozolomide was approved to treat patient that had been diagnosed with glioblastomas. Over 50% of GBM tumors generate a DNA repair protein called methylguanine methyltransferase (MGMT) that effectively neutralizes temozolomide chemotherapy. In 2009, bevacizumab was granted accelerated approval for the treatment of
GBM patients whose cancers had recurred based on phase two studies11.
Research has conducted that the most effective treatments against the bulk tumor patients with
GBM are radiation and chemotherapy, but tumor recurrence attributed to glioma stem cell resistance continues to occur7, 10. Some of the possible targets within glioblastoma stem cells include epidermal growth factor (EGFR), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)