Pancreatic cancer stem cells

Abstract

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a distinct subpopulation of cells within a tumor that are capable of self-renewal and producing differentiated progeny. These cells appear to be more resilient to treatment than bulk tumor cells. Pancreatic CSCs have distinct markers; the most common identifiers are CD44, CD24, ESA, and CD133; however, other surface markers, characteristics, and intracellular signaling have been found to be unique to this population of tumor cells. New studies also indicate that CSCs may also have a distinct metabolic profile that distinguishes them from non-CSC tumor cells. There are many promising new targets on the horizon to strategize how to inhibit the growth of pancreatic CSCs by capitalizing on these features. However, many questions must be answered in order to translate this knowledge into therapeutic treatments for patients.