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The crossroads between cancer stem cells and aging
- Source :
- BMC Cancer
- Publisher :
- Springer Nature
-
Abstract
- The cancer stem cell (CSC) hypothesis suggests that only a subpopulation of cells within a tumour is responsible for the initiation and progression of neoplasia. The original and best evidence for the existence of CSCs came from advances in the field of haematological malignancies. Thus far, putative CSCs have been isolated from various solid and non-solid tumours and shown to possess self-renewal, differentiation, and cancer regeneration properties. Although research in the field is progressing extremely fast, proof of concept for the CSC hypothesis is still lacking and key questions remain unanswered, e.g. the cell of origin for these cells. Nevertheless, it is undisputed that neoplastic transformation is associated with genetic and epigenetic alterations of normal cells, and a better understanding of these complex processes is of utmost importance for developing new anti-cancer therapies. In the present review, we discuss the CSC hypothesis with special emphasis on age-associated alterations that govern carcinogenesis, at least in some types of tumours. We present evidence from the scientific literature for age-related genetic and epigenetic alterations leading to cancer and discuss the main challenges in the field.
- Subjects :
- Aging
Cancer Research
Carcinogenesis
Review
Biology
medicine.disease_cause
Epigenesis, Genetic
Stem cells
aging
cancer stem cells
malignant transformation
tumorigenesis
Cancer stem cell
Neoplasms
medicine
Genetics
Animals
Humans
Neoplastic transformation
Epigenetics
Epigenesis
Regeneration (biology)
Cancer
medicine.disease
3. Good health
Oncology
Immunology
Cancer research
Neoplastic Stem Cells
Stem cell
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 14712407
- Volume :
- 15
- Issue :
- S1
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- BMC Cancer
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....3b7297ad62f567b53db633ec61487836
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2407-15-s1-s1