Faith, Heresy & the Cancer Stem Cell Hypothesis
Lewis MT. Faith, heresy and the cancer stem cell hypothesis. Future Oncol. 2008 Oct;4(5):585-9. PMID: 18922113
Baylor professor Michael Lewis reviews current theory about cancer stem cells, starting from arguments for their existence:
“Arguments for the existence of tumor-initiating ‘cancer stem cells’ are rooted ultimately in cell theory. A central tenet of cell theory states that, other than the first cell, all cells arise from pre-existing cells. Since all cancers are composed of cells, and have, in most cases, been demonstrated to be clonally derived, most cancers must arise from a single, pre-existing cell – a ‘tumor-initiating cell’. The cancer stem cell hypothesis proposes that tumor-initiating ‘cancer stem cells’ arise from cells that either innately possess or acquire the ability to self-renew (reproduce a new tumor-initiating cell) and serve as a precursor cell able to generate all other cell types characteristic of a given tumor. Thus, the term ‘stem cell’ in the ‘cancer stem cell hypothesis’ refers to a defining set of cellular behaviors responsible for tumor formation, and not necessarily to the identity of the cell of origin."
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