A malignant tumor is an actively growing tissue, composed of cells derived from a single cell line that has undergone irreversible differentiation. These cells are invasive and also metastasize in the body, resulting in malignant cancer. Recent research suggests that a malignant tumor originates from cancer stem cells (CSC) accompanied with physiological niches. Cancer Metastasis and Stem Cell/Niche explains the invasiveness and metastasis of cancer cells I the light of information gained from the CSC / niche theory. Five chapters present a review on the fundamental relationships between CSCs, their niche and metastasis, the regulation of cell surface glycan expression in CSCs, tumor endothelial cells and metastasis, toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-mediated premetastatic microenvironment, and in surgical cancer metastasis. This monograph is intended as a primary reference on CSC research for physiologists, clinical oncologists, stem cell researchers and molecular biologists.

The Cancer Stem Cell Niche, Volume Five in the Advances in Stem Cells and their Niches series, highlights new advances in the field, with this new volume presenting interesting chapters on a variety of timely topics, including Acute lymphoblastic leukemia and the bone marrow microenvironment, Stem cell niches in bone and their roles in cancer metastasis, The role of vasculature in cancer stem cell niches, The lung cancer stem cell niche, The prostate cancer stem cell niche: Genetic drivers and therapeutic approaches, Impact of prostate cancer stem cell niches on prostate cancer tumorigenesis and progression, The testicular cancer stem cell niche. - Provides the authority and expertise of leading contributors from an international board of authors - Presents the latest release in the Advances in Stem Cells and their Niches series - Includes the latest information on the Cancer Stem Cell Niche

Significance of Stem Cells to Tumor Development Cancer stem cells remain a controversial topic and the criteria that define cancer stem cells are continuing to evolve. A recent surge in stem cell research has ignited a field of discovery into many human diseases including diabetes, neuropathologies, and cancer. By replacing specific differentiated cells that have either been lost or died, stem cell therapy proves to be a very promising approach to the treatment of many debilitating diseases. Though stem cells may provide therapeutic benefit under certain conditions, they are also often implicated in the initiation, progression, and therapeutic resistance of malignant disease. This first edition of Stem Cells and Cancer is intended to give a current perspective on the role of stem cells in cancer and strategies for novel therapies directed toward tumor stem cells. The current cancer stem cell hypothesis is presented in several chapters with distinctions made between the hierarchical and stochastic models of tumor cell development. "Stemness," self-renewal, pluripotency, clonality, and tumorigenicity are important concepts applied towards defining cancer stem cells. Signaling pathways such as Wnt, Sonic Hedgehog, Notch, and Bmi-1 that are involved in differentiation, proliferation, and survival are implicated in the malignant process. Additional chapters address the identification of cancer stem cell populations through the evaluation of molecular markers such as CD133, CD44, and CD24, for example, or by Hoescht dye exclusion to recognize ‘side populations.’ Mesenchymal and hematopoietic stem cells are described as well as mouse models that are employed to elucidate the properties and functionality of stem cells in cancer and the stem cell niche. This book encompasses a wide variety of human cancers that include but are not limited to leukemia, gliomas, breast, and prostate cancers. Resistance to conventional therapies, genetic versus epigenetic changes that affect therapeutic response and strategies to prevent disease recurrence are challenges have been incorporated into this volume. Stem Cells and Cancer represents a compendium of cutting edge research by experts in the field and will be instrumental in the study of this intriguing line of investigation for many years to come. Rebecca Bagley is a senior scientist at Genzyme Corporation and has worked in the biotechnology industry for 20 years with degrees in biology from Wellesley College and Harvard University. Her expertise in drug development spans a wide range of approaches including immunotherapies, gene and protein therapies, and small molecule delivery with publications in journals such as Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, Cancer Research, and Microvascular Research . Her current research focuses on stem cells, tumor vasculature, and target validation. Dr. Beverly A. Teicher is Vice President of Oncology Research at Genzyme Corporation. Dr. Teicher completed a PhD in Bioorganic Chemistry at the Johns Hopkins University and postdoctoral training at Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Teicher joined Dana-Farber Cancer Institute as an Assistant Professor of Pathology and rose to Associate Professor of Medicine and Radiation Therapy, Harvard Medical School at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Joint Center for Radiation Therapy. Dr. Teicher is an active member of the international scientific community having authored or co-authored more than 400 scientific publications. She has edited eight books, is senior editor for the journal Clinical Cancer Research and is series editor for the Cancer Drug Discovery and Development book series.

In the summer of 1988, my developmental biology professor announced to the class that hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) had finally been purified. Somehow, I never forgot the professor’s words. When I started working in Dr. Irv Weissman’s labo- tory at Stanford as a postdoctoral fellow, I realized that the findings mentioned by the professor were from Weissman’s laboratory and had been published in a 1988 edition of the journal Science. It has been over 20 years since the publication of that seminal paper, and since then tremendous advances in understanding the biology and maturation of HSCs, namely the process of hematopoiesis, which includes lymphocyte development, have been made. These discoveries were made possible in part by advancements in technology. For example, recent availability of user friendly fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) machines and monoclonal an- bodies with a variety of fluorescent labels has allowed more scientists to sort and analyze rare populations in the bone marrow, such as HSCs. All classes of hematopoietic cells are derived from HSCs. Stem cell biology draws enormous attention not only from scientists, but also from ordinary people because of the tremendous potential for development of new therapeutic application to diseases that currently lack any type of effective therapy. Thus, this type of “regenerative medicine” is a relatively new and attractive field in both basic science and clinical medicine.

Tissue-specific stem cells have the capacity to self-renew and differentiate into several types of functional cells that replenish lost cells throughout an organism?s lifetime. Studies on stem cells from diverse systems have shown that stem cell function is controlled by extracellular cues from the niche and by intrinsic genetic programs within the stem cell. The objectives of this book would be to review the molecular mechanisms that mediate the balanced response of stem cells to the needs of the organisms. Likewise, niches have also been linked to pathologies, by imposing aberrant function on stem cells or other targets. Therefore, the second objective of this book would be to highligh the molecular dysregulation of niche biology leading to the disease. The third objective would be to review the therapeutical targets described within stem cell niches.

Biology and Engineering of Stem Cell Niches covers a wide spectrum of research and current knowledge on embryonic and adult stem cell niches, focusing on the understanding of stem cell niche molecules and signaling mechanisms, including cell-cell/cell-matrix interactions. The book comprehensively reviews factors regulating stem cell behavior and the corresponding approaches for understanding the subsequent effect of providing the proper matrix molecules, mechanical cues, and/or chemical cues. It encompasses a variety of tools and techniques for developing biomaterials-based methods to model synthetic stem cell niches in vivo, or to enhance and direct stem cell fate in vitro. A final section of the book discusses stem cell niche bioengineering strategies and current advances in each tissue type. Includes the importance of Cell-Cell and Cell Matrix Interactions in each specific tissue and system Authored and edited by authorities in this emerging and multidisciplinary field Includes valuable links to 5-10 minute YouTube© author videos that describe main points

Précis This book is a treatise about the origin of cancers. I would like to convince readers that the basic tenets of the theory of a stem-cell origin of cancers also constitute a unified theory of cancer. Stem-cell origin of normal (and cancer) cells: Vitruvian version Every truth passes through three stages before it is recognized. In the first it is ridiculed, in the second, it is opposed, in the third, it is regarded as self-evident. – Arthur Schopenhauer v vi Preface Every person has a unique story to tell. My story is about cancer. Cancer touches the lives of countless people. Often enough, it leaves indelible tracks. Many lives have been lost; others are forever changed. For those who confront this deadly scourge, there is a sense of urgency, if not of desperation. For those who face im- nent death, life becomes even more precious and carries a special meaning. As an oncologist, I am touched daily by cancer. I feel its inception, evolution, and aft- math. It seems as though we are fighting an incessant war against cancer at the front line in the trenches. This is my story about cancer. Some people are terrific storytellers. Others have incredible tales to tell.

Cancer Stem Cells covers a wide range of topics in cancer stem cell biology, including the functional characteristics of cancer stem cells and how they're generated, where they are localized, the means by which cancer stem cells can be targeted, and how cancer stem cells can be reprogrammed back to normal tissue stem cells. Each chapter begins with a brief historical note and concept summary, followed by a description of the latest basic or clinical advance associated with the topic. Cancer Stem Cells builds systematically from coverage of the basic research stage to an advanced research level, from clinical relevance to therapeutic potential, and will be a valuable resource for professionals in the fields of cancer research and stem cell biology.

Over the last thirty years, the foremost inspiration for research on metastasis, cancer recurrence, and increased resistance to chemo- and radiotherapy has been the notion of cancer stem cells.The twenty-eight chapters assembled in Cancer Stem Cells - The Cutting Edge summarize the work of cancer researchers and oncologists at leading universities and hospitals around the world on every aspect of cancer stem cells, from theory and models to specific applications (glioma), from laboratory research on signal pathways to clinical trials of bio-therapies using a host of devices, from solutions to laboratory problems to speculation on cancers' stem cells' evolution. Cancer stem cells may or may not be a subset of slowly dividing cancer cells that both disseminate cancers and defy oncotoxic drugs and radiation directed at rapidly dividing bulk cancer cells, but research on cancer stem cells has paid dividends for cancer prevention, detection, targeted treatment, and improved prognosis.

Principles of Stem Cell Biology and Cancer: Future Applications and Therapeutics Tarik Regad, The John van Geest Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham Trent University, UK, Thomas J. Sayers, Centre for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, USA and Robert Rees The John van Geest Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham Trent University, UK The field of cancer stem cells is expanding rapidly, with many groups focusing on isolating and identifying cancer stem cell populations. Although some progress has been made developing efficient cancer therapies, targeting cancer stem cells remains one of the important challenges facing the growing stem cell research community. Principles of Stem Cell Biology and Cancer brings together original contributions from international experts in the field to present the very latest information linking stem cell biology and cancer. Divided into two parts, the book begins with a detailed introduction to stem cell biology with a focus on the characterization of these cells, progress that has been made in their identification, as well as future therapeutic applications of stem cells. The second part focuses on cancer stem cells and their role in cancer development, progression and chemo-resistance. This section of the book includes an overview of recent progress concerning therapies targeting cancer stem cells. Features: An authoritative introduction to the link between stem cell biology and cancer. Includes contributions from leading international experts in the field. Well-illustrated with full colour figures throughout. This book will prove an invaluable resource for basic and applied researchers and clinicians working on the development of new cancer treatments and therapies, providing a timely publication of high quality reviews outlining the current progress and exciting future possibilities for stem cell research.