Stems Cells and Cancer

The discovery of stem cells has ignited a field of discovery in many human disease areas including diabetes, neurology, and cancer. The tissues from which stem cells have been derived for research have become controversial over the years. Stem cells hold promise in the treatment of debilitating diseases as a new source of therapy. While stem cells may provide therapeutic benefit under certain conditions, stem cells have most recently been implicated in the progression and aggressiveness of certain cancers.Stem cells are characterized by the potential to self-renew, to differentiate, and can sustain tumor growth. Cancer stem cells have been implicated in a variety of tumor types including gliomas, breast, colon, and prostate carcinomas. Hematopoietic stem cell malignancies have been demonstrated in contributing to hematological malignancies such as leukemia. Mesenchymal stem cells have also been implicated in progression of disease. The stem cell niche or microenvironment also plays an important role in nurturing stem cells until their release and mobilization towards sites of active tumorigenesis.