Although there have been many new developments in the treatment of leukaemia with the use of new anti-leukaemic agents and stem cell transplantation, drug resistance and treatment failure remain a great challenge for the attending physician. Several studies have suggested that leukaemic stem cells (LSCs) play a pivotal role in chemoresistance and metastasis and the mechanisms by which these cells do so have also been elucidated. There is increasing evidence to show that there exists a large pool of therapeutic targets in LSCs and that the eradication of these cells is feasible with some promising results. This article gives an overview of different types of cancer stem cells (CSCs) derived from various types of leukaemia, the mechanisms by which LSCs contribute to drug resistance and metastasis and some recent advances in targeted therapy against LSCs.
Accumulation of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in the tumor microenvironment is associated with poor prognosis and recurrence of colorectal cancer (CRC). Despite their prominent roles in colorectal carcinogenesis, there is a lack of robust and specific markers to classify the heterogeneous and highly complex CAF populations. This has resulted in confusing and misleading definitions of CAFs in cancer niche. Advancements in molecular biology approaches have open doors to reliable CAF marker detection methods in various solid tumors. These discoveries would contribute to more efficient screening, monitoring and targeted therapy of CRC thus potentially will reduce cancer morbidity and mortality rates. This review highlights current scenarios, dilemma, translational potentials of CAF biomarker and future therapeutic applications involving CAF marker identification in CRC.