TY  - JOUR
AU  - Koukourakis, Ioannis M
AU  - Platoni, Kalliopi
AU  - Kouloulias, Vassilis
AU  - Arelaki, Stella
AU  - Zygogianni, Anna
TI  - Prostate Cancer Stem Cells: Biology and Treatment Implications.
JO  - International journal of molecular sciences
VL  - 24
IS  - 19
SN  - 1422-0067
CY  - Basel
PB  - Molecular Diversity Preservation International
M1  - DKFZ-2023-02077
SP  - 14890
PY  - 2023
AB  - Stem cells differentiate into mature organ/tissue-specific cells at a steady pace under normal conditions, but their growth can be accelerated during the process of tissue healing or in the context of certain diseases. It is postulated that the proliferation and growth of carcinomas are sustained by the presence of a vital cellular compartment resembling stem cells residing in normal tissues: 'stem-like cancer cells' or cancer stem cells (CSCs). Mutations in prostate stem cells can lead to the formation of prostate cancer. Prostate CSCs (PCSCs) have been identified and partially characterized. These express surface markers include CD44, CD133, integrin α2β1, and pluripotency factors like OCT4, NANOG, and SOX2. Several signaling pathways are also over-activated, including Notch, PTEN/Akt/PI3K, RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK and HH. Moreover, PCSCs appear to induce resistance to radiotherapy and chemotherapy, while their presence has been linked to aggressive cancer behavior and higher relapse rates. The development of treatment policies to target PCSCs in tumors is appealing as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, through cancer cell killing, trigger tumor repopulation via activated stem cells. Thus, blocking this reactive stem cell mobilization may facilitate a positive outcome through cytotoxic treatment.
KW  - chemotherapy (Other)
KW  - prostate cancer (Other)
KW  - radiotherapy (Other)
KW  - stem cells (Other)
LB  - PUB:(DE-HGF)16
C6  - pmid:37834336
C2  - pmc:PMC10573523
DO  - DOI:10.3390/ijms241914890
UR  - https://inrepo02.dkfz.de/record/284766
ER  -