Published online May 28, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i20.2997
Revised: March 25, 2013
Accepted: April 3, 2013
Published online: May 28, 2013
Processing time: 136 Days and 8.7 Hours
Tumors have long been viewed as a population in which all cells have the equal propensity to form new tumors, the so called conventional stochastic model. The cutting-edge theory on tumor origin and progression, tends to consider cancer as a stem cell disease. Stem cells are actively involved in the onset and maintenance of colon cancer. This review is intended to examine the state of the art on colon cancer stem cells (CSCs), with regard to the recent achievements of basic research and to the corresponding translational consequences. Specific prominence is given to the hypothesized origin of CSCs and to the methods for their identification. The growing understanding of CSC biology is driving the optimization of novel anti-cancer targeted drugs.
Core tip: According to the “cancer stem cell” (CSC) theory, tumor growth and spread are driven by a minority of cancer cells which exhibit characteristics similar to normal stem cells. Although CSCs have been implicated in colon carcinogenesis, due to the complexity of their biology and unsolved technical issues, an unequivocally approved identification and isolation strategy is still a matter of debate. Several markers have been used to identify colon CSCs but the function of these proteins in CSC biology has not yet been clarified. Moreover, the possibility that CSCs might contribute to the failure of existing chemotherapies to eradicate malignant tumors, indicate that targeting of CSCs may represent a promising strategy to eradicate chemoresistant cancers. Aim of this review was to acquire more information on the biology of human colon CSCs and shed light on the role of this cells in the onset and the maintenance of colon cancer.