A possible explanation for the variable frequencies of cancer stem cells in tumors.
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 23950884.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0069131 and PMC identifier 3737222.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
A controversy surrounds the frequency of cancer stem cells (CSCs) in solid tumors. Initial studies indicated that these cells had a frequency ranging from 0.0001 to 0.1% of the total cells. Recent studies have shown that this does not always seem to be the case. Some of these studies have indicated a frequency of [Formula: see text]. In this paper we propose a stochastic model that is able to capture this potential variability in the frequency of CSCs among the various type of tumors. Considerations regarding the heterogeneity of the tumor cells and its consequences are included. Possible effects on conventional treatments in clinical practice are also described. The model results suggest that traditional attempts to combat cancer cells with rapid cycling can be very stimulating for the cancer stem cell populations.
Medical subject headings
- Cell Differentiation
- Cell Proliferation
- Neoplasms
- Neoplastic Stem Cells