Recent Progress In Research On Lung Cancer Stem Cells

Background:Lung Cancer Stem Cells(LSCS) are a subgroup of lung cancer cells that maintain protumorigenic characteristics including high proliferative capacity, multipotent differentiation. The propose of cancer stem cells(CSC) theory posed a challenge to the traditional methods of tumor therapy.The traditional treatments method, such as surgical resection, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, could achieve remedial effect by reducing the number of tumor cells as much as possible.However, most of patients got tumor recurrence after a period of time.Although, the targeted drugs appeared in recent years, such as tarceva and iressa, but they were only effective for EGFR positive patients.Furthermore, not only the drugs were expensive, but also the patients had drug resistance.The tumor stem cell theory undoubtedly provided a new idea for the treatment of lung cancer The theory could explain why the treatment of lung cancer was not ideal now.For the traditional treatment methods of lung cancer, although most of cancer cells had been eliminated, but there was a small amount of CSC which still remained in the body and caused tumor recurrence.Therefore, only kill the lung cancer stem cell could truly cure lung cancer.Growing research evidence suggests that LSCS play a central role in the initiation, propagation, metastasis, recurrence, resistance to radiation therapy and chemotherapy of lung cancer. LSCS can be identified with their characteristic cell surface markers. Recent research progress in identification of LSCS markers makes it possible to further study their biological function and holds the promise of leading to novel therapeutic interventions for lung cancer. This review summerizes the origin, discovery of LSCS, and their biological function, identification, screenign and isolation, cell surface markers, self-renewal signaling pathway, and the possibility as therapy target for lung cancer.Objective:To review recent research progress on lung cancer stem cells.Methods:A computer-based online search of related articles from Chinese Full-text Journal Database and Pub Med 2008-2015, with key words as“Stem cell,Lung stem cell,Lung cancer stem cell,Lung cancer,Cancer stem cell”, in both Chinese and English. The search results 148 articles, including 103 articles in Chinese, and 45 in English. And this review summerizes the current understing of LSCS, including their origin, biological function, identification, screening, cell surface markers, self-renewal signaling pathway, and the possibility as therapy target for lung cancer.