RESUMO
Monoclonal antibodies have been extensively used to treat malignancy along with routine chemotherapeutic drugs. Chemotherapy for metastatic cancer has not been successful in securing long-term remission of disease. This is in part due to the resistance of cancer cells to drugs. One aspect of the drug resistance is the inability of conventional drugs to eliminate cancer stem cells (CSCs) which often constitute less than 1-2% of the whole tumor. In some tumor types, it is possible to identify these cells using surface markers. Monoclonal antibodies targeting these CSCs are an attractive option for a new therapeutic approach. Although administering antibodies has not been effective, when combined with chemotherapy they have proved synergistic. This review highlights the potential of improving treatment efficacy using functional antibodies against CSCs, which could be combined with chemotherapy in the future.
Assuntos
Anticorpos Monoclonais/uso terapêutico , Biomarcadores Tumorais/antagonistas & inibidores , Terapia de Alvo Molecular/métodos , Neoplasias/tratamento farmacológico , Células-Tronco Neoplásicas/efeitos dos fármacos , Anticorpos Monoclonais/administração & dosagem , Antineoplásicos/administração & dosagem , Antineoplásicos/uso terapêutico , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/uso terapêutico , Biomarcadores Tumorais/metabolismo , Resistencia a Medicamentos Antineoplásicos/efeitos dos fármacos , Previsões , Humanos , Terapia de Alvo Molecular/tendências , Neoplasias/metabolismo , Células-Tronco Neoplásicas/metabolismoRESUMO
The identification of Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) in leukemia has opened a new field in cancer research. This has led to the identification of similar cells in other types of cancer. CSCs express distinct surface markers and functional properties which distinguish them from the rest of the cells within a tumor. Due to variability in identification of CSCs in a particular type of cancer (except brain, breast and leukemia), surface markers alone may not be sufficient. It is critical to identify and isolate this small population of cells from the heterogeneous tumors to understand their pathogenesis. Identification of surface markers together with intrinsic properties of CSCs like colony formation, Hoechst exclusion or ALDEFLUOR assay may be useful in isolating more primitive and highly pure CSCs from a heterogeneous population of malignant cells. This review critically analyses various techniques and methods along with their advantages and disadvantages that are employed in identifying CSCs from different types of cancers.