Cancer stem cell：Road to clinical application

Most common cancers, such as cancers of the breast and colon, arise in organs such as the breast that contain a small population of stem cells that constantly replenish the mature cells of the tissue. Stem cells are defined by the ability to divide and give rise to a new stem cell (self-renewal), as well as the ability to give rise to the differentiated cells of an organ, and thus are the only long-lived cell population in many tissues. We will present data that inflammatory pathways protect intestinal stem cells from damage and participate in the repair of intestinal epithelium. We will present genetic data that shows that these same pathways contribute to the formation of tumors in the colon. In established tumors, inhibitors of these inflammatory pathways have potential as therapeutic agents in cancer.