Published online May 14, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i18.5420
Revised: January 15, 2014
Accepted: February 26, 2014
Published online: May 14, 2014
In recent decades, the study of the mechanism of tumorigenesis has brought much progress to cancer treatment. However, cancer stem cell (CSC) theory has changed previous views of tumors, and has provided a new method for treatment of cancer. The discovery of CSCs and their characteristics have contributed to understanding the molecular mechanism of tumor genesis and development, resulting in a new effective strategy for cancer treatment. Gastric CSCs (GCSCs) are the basis for the onset of gastric cancer. They may be derived from gastric stem cells in gastric tissues, or bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. As with other stem cells, GCSCs highly express drug-resistance genes such as aldehyde dehydrogenase and multidrug resistance, which are resistant to chemotherapy and thus form the basis of drug resistance. Many specific molecular markers such as CD44 and CD133 have been used for identification and isolation of GCSCs, diagnosis and grading of gastric cancer, and research on GCSC-targeted therapy for gastric cancer. Therefore, discussion of the recent development and advancements in GCSCs will be helpful for providing novel insight into gastric cancer treatment.
Core tip: Gastric cancer stem cells (GCSCs) play an important role in the occurrence and development of gastric cancer. They are the basis for tolerance to chemotherapy, as well as the rapid growth and metastasis of tumors. GCSC markers are closely associated with the degree of malignancy of gastric cancer, therefore, marker-targeted therapy is one of the potential directions for the treatment of gastric cancer.