Tumor tissue analogs for the assessment of radioresistance in cancer stem cells

Abstract

Over the years, radiotherapy-related research has been based on local tumor control as an experimental endpoint, yielding a wealth of data demonstrating the importance of cancer stem cells in tumor reoccurrence after radiotherapy. Literature is replete with experimental and clinical evidence that the cancer stem cell population in a tumor affects its radiocurability. An important consideration for radiotherapy is the microenvironmental stimuli in the CSC niche that results from factors such as hypoxia, extracellular matrix (ECM) elements and their intercellular interaction with non-stem cells and other cell types that prevail in the tumor milieu. In this chapter, we have described the methodology to develop in vitro 3D tumor models that incorporate these microenvironmental characteristics and design experiments that generate endpoints for understanding radioresistance in cancer stem cells.