Affiliations 

  • 1 Regenerative Medicine Cluster, Advanced Medical and Dental Institute (AMDI), Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kepala Batas, Penang, Malaysia
  • 2 College of Life Science and Technology, Xinxiang Medical University (XXMU), Xinxiang, China
Front Oncol, 2017;7:80.
PMID: 28529925 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2017.00080

Abstract

Lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide, accounting for 1.8 million new cases and 1.6 million deaths in 2012. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which is one of two types of lung cancer, accounts for 85-90% of all lung cancers. Despite advances in therapy, lung cancer still remains a leading cause of death. Cancer relapse and dissemination after treatment indicates the existence of a niche of cancer cells that are not fully eradicated by current therapies. These chemoresistant populations of cancer cells are called cancer stem cells (CSCs) because they possess the self-renewal and differentiation capabilities similar to those of normal stem cells. Targeting the niche of CSCs in combination with chemotherapy might provide a promising strategy to eradicate these cells. Thus, understanding the characteristics of CSCs has become a focus of studies of NSCLC therapies.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.