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What is the difference between cancer cells and cancer stem cells?
). For example, in tumors of the breast and brain, a minority population of cancer stem cells have the ability to self-renew, whereas the majority of cancer cells have limited or no ability to proliferate. This suggests that cancer stem cells may drive the growth and spread of the tumor.
Can cancer stem cells repopulate a Tumour?
Cancer cells that are not killed by conventional cytotoxic therapy will repopulate the tumor and lead to treatment resistance [34].
Does cancer start in stem cells?
Stem cells survive much longer than ordinary cells, increasing the chance that they might accumulate genetic mutations. It might take only a few mutations for one cell to lose control over its self-renewal and growth and become the source of cancer.
How do stem cells fight cancer?
Allogeneic stem cell transplant
But beyond restoring the blood-producing ability of the body, allogeneic stem cell transplantation can help fight cancer directly. The donated cells generate a new immune response, meaning they find and kill cancer cells, sometimes better than the original immune cells of the patient.
What is the cancer stem cell hypothesis?
The cancer stem-cell (CSC) hypothesis suggests that there is a small subset of cancer cells that are responsible for tumor initiation and growth, possessing properties such as indefinite self-renewal, slow replication, intrinsic resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and an ability to give rise to differentiated …