Affiliations: Center for Cancer Research, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD,
USA | Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
Note: [] Corresponding author: Lyuba Varticovski, MD, Center for Cancer
Research, LHC, Building 37, Room 3060, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
20892, USA. E-mail: varticol@mail.nih.gov
Abstract: Lung cancer remains a major cause of cancer-related lethality
because of high incidence and recurrence in spite of significant advances in
staging and therapies. Recent data indicates that stem cells situated
throughout the airways may initiate cancer formation. These putative stem cells
maintain protumorigenic characteristics including high proliferative capacity,
multipotent differentiation, drug resistance and long lifespan relative to
other cells. Stem cell signaling and differentiation pathways are maintained
within distinct cancer types, and destabilization of this machinery may
participate in maintenance of cancer stem cells. Characterization of lung
cancer stem cells is an area of active research and is critical for developing
novel therapies. This review summarizes the current knowledge on stem cell
signaling pathways and cell markers used to identify the lung cancer stem
cells.
Keywords: ABC transporters, drug resistance, hedgehog, notch, non-small cell lung cancer, side population, small cell lung cancer, stem cells, Wnt
Journal: Disease Markers, vol. 24, no. 4-5, pp. 257-266, 2008
