Cancer Stem Cells and Combination Therapies to Eradicate Them

Qi Tang; Dan Yin; Yao Wang; Wenxuan Du; Yuhan Qin; Anni Ding; Hanmei Li

doi:10.2174/1381612826666200406083756

Cancer Stem Cells and Combination Therapies to Eradicate Them

Curr Pharm Des. 2020;26(17):1994-2008. doi: 10.2174/1381612826666200406083756.

Authors

Qi Tang^{1

2}, Dan Yin², Yao Wang¹, Wenxuan Du¹, Yuhan Qin¹, Anni Ding¹, Hanmei Li¹

Affiliations

¹ College of Pharmacy and Biological Engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu, China.
² Sichuan Industrial Institute of Antibiotics, Chengdu University, Chengdu, China.

PMID: 32250222
DOI: 10.2174/1381612826666200406083756

Abstract

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) show self-renewal ability and multipotential differentiation, like normal stem or progenitor cells, and which proliferate uncontrollably and can escape the effects of drugs and phagocytosis by immune cells. Traditional monotherapies, such as surgical resection, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, cannot eradicate CSCs, however, combination therapy may be more effective at eliminating CSCs. The present review summarizes the characteristics of CSCs and several promising combination therapies to eradicate them.

Keywords: CSCs; chemotherapy; combination therapy; gene therapy; nanoparticle; photothermal therapy..

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Cell Differentiation
Combined Modality Therapy
Neoplasms* / drug therapy
Neoplastic Stem Cells*