Isolation of Cancer Stem Cells Showing Drug Resistance in the Human Epithelia Ovarian Cancer

Epithelial ovarian cancer remains the most lethal gynecologic malignancy and high recurrence rates due to resistance to further treatment with chemotherapy. Evidences showed that a pool of self-renewing malignant progenitors, cancer stem cells (CSCs) may contribute to chemotherapy resistance. Thus, targeting of CSC fraction may be critical for eliminating cancers cells. Here we will discuss the current knowledge regarding isolation of ovarian CSCs, EMT and the role of regulation by miRNAs in the context of drug resistance. Furthermore, we discuss direct CSC targeting approaches, for which therapeutic proof of principle has recently been established.