Dr. Weeks’ Comment: Now more and more research is supporting the cancer STEM cell theory demonstrating that the standard of care – killing cancer TUMOR cells is futile and dangerous since it makes the lethal cancer STEM cells “more numerous and more virulent“. This article by Dr. Carnero clarifies the importance of screening for cancer STEM cells. Once identified, the optimal treatment is anti-inflammation – and the safest agent is the whole crushed organic seed formula which includes the synergistic effect of mixing black cumin seed, black raspberry seed and Chardonnay grape seed with D- ribose and Xylitol.
“Understanding the mechanisms that underlie CSC maintenance to combat cancer is essential,” said study co-author Matilde E. Lleonart, PhD, of the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute in Barcelona, Spain, in an email to Cancer Therapy Advisor. “Determining the mechanisms that govern radio/chemoresistance in CSCs may illuminate the origins of this complex process and improve the treatments of cancer.”
- •Specific CSC markers should be defined to specifically annihilate CSCs.
- •Dedifferentiation (gain of stem properties), is a common process in malignant tumors.
- •Resistance to therapy caused by CSCs is an urgent problem to be solved in oncology.
Abstract
The study of cancer stem cells (CSCs) has shown that tumors are driven by a subpopulation of self-renewing CSCs that retain the capacity to engender the various differentiated cell populations that form tumors. The characterization of CSCs has indicated that CSCs are remarkably resistant to conventional radio- and chemo-therapy. Clinically, the remaining populations of CSC are responsible for metastasis and recurrence in patients with cancer, which can lead to the disease becoming chronic and incurable. Therefore, the elimination of CSCs is an important goal of cancer treatments. Furthermore, CSCs are subject to strong regulation by the surrounding microenvironment, which also impacts tumor responses. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms by which pathways that are defective in CSCs influence ultimately therapeutic and clinical outcomes.
“Our article reinforces the impact of CSC therapy, but also raises some important issues to consider when a CSC therapy is applied,” said Dr Lleonart. “First we need to classify those tumors predictable for a successful CSC therapy. By doing that, it would be possible to predict those patients where a CSC-therapy in combination with standard therapy will be effective. Even for specific tumor types, we need to do such patient identification/stratification to assure therapeutic success.”
The researchers offer 5 conclusions for advancing CSC research:
- It’s important to define specific CSC markers to “precisely annihilate” CSCs.
- Researchers need to determine the mechanisms governing CSC resistance to conventional therapy.
- Conventional anti-cancer therapies may transform the CSC microenvironment, disturbing anticancer homeostatic mechanisms.
- Combination therapies including drugs that target CSCs specifically may be the best approach, particularly for highly aggressive tumors with poor prognosis.
- Animal models are needed to optimize therapeutic treatments for use in concomitant administration.