Linking stemness with colorectal cancer initiation, progression, and therapy

Figure 2 Therapeutic strategies in colorectal cancer. Targeting the tumor bulk in colorectal cancer with adjuvant therapy leads to tumor regression, although CSCs may escape cell death. Such a chemoresistance event leads to tumor recurrence and overall poor prognosis. In contrast, treatment with a combination of adjuvant therapy and CSC-targeting therapy would also eradicate the CSC population, along with the tumor bulk. In the long term, reduction in CSC volume would kill the tumor. CSC: Cancer stem cells; ISC: Intestinal stem cells.