Open Access

Cancer stem cells in esophageal squamous cell cancer (Review)

  • Authors:
    • Qian Wu
    • Zhe Wu
    • Cuiyu Bao
    • Wenjing Li
    • Hui He
    • Yanling Sun
    • Zimin Chen
    • Hao Zhang
    • Zhifeng Ning
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: September 20, 2019     https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2019.10900
  • Pages: 5022-5032
  • Copyright: © Wu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are hypothesized to govern the origin, progression, drug resistance, recurrence and metastasis of human cancer. CSCs have been identified in nearly all types of human cancer, including esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC). Four major methods are typically used to isolate or enrich CSCs, including: i) fluorescence‑activated cell sorting or magnetic‑activated cell sorting using cell‑specific surface markers; ii) stem cell markers, including aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 family member A1; iii) side population cell phenotype markers; and iv) microsphere culture methods. ESCC stem cells have been identified using a number of these methods. An increasing number of stem cell signatures and pathways have been identified, which have assisted in the clarification of molecular mechanisms that regulate the stemness of ESCC stem cells. Certain viruses, such as human papillomavirus and hepatitis B virus, are also considered to be important in the formation of CSCs, and there is a crosstalk between stemness and viruses‑associated genes/pathways, which may suggest a potential therapeutic strategy for the eradication of CSCs. In the present review, findings are summarized along these lines of inquiry.
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November-2019
Volume 18 Issue 5

Print ISSN: 1792-1074
Online ISSN:1792-1082

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Copy and paste a formatted citation
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Spandidos Publications style
Wu Q, Wu Z, Bao C, Li W, He H, Sun Y, Chen Z, Zhang H and Ning Z: Cancer stem cells in esophageal squamous cell cancer (Review). Oncol Lett 18: 5022-5032, 2019.
APA
Wu, Q., Wu, Z., Bao, C., Li, W., He, H., Sun, Y. ... Ning, Z. (2019). Cancer stem cells in esophageal squamous cell cancer (Review). Oncology Letters, 18, 5022-5032. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2019.10900
MLA
Wu, Q., Wu, Z., Bao, C., Li, W., He, H., Sun, Y., Chen, Z., Zhang, H., Ning, Z."Cancer stem cells in esophageal squamous cell cancer (Review)". Oncology Letters 18.5 (2019): 5022-5032.
Chicago
Wu, Q., Wu, Z., Bao, C., Li, W., He, H., Sun, Y., Chen, Z., Zhang, H., Ning, Z."Cancer stem cells in esophageal squamous cell cancer (Review)". Oncology Letters 18, no. 5 (2019): 5022-5032. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2019.10900