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REVIEW article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1417201
This article is part of the Research Topic Exploring Novel Immunotherapy Targets and Combinational Immunotherapy in Breast and Gastrointestinal Cancers View all 12 articles

The correlation between cancer stem cells and epithelial-mesenchymal transition: molecular mechanisms and significance in cancer theragnosis

Provisionally accepted
Jinxiang Wang Jinxiang Wang 1*Zi-Ning Lei Zi-Ning Lei 2*Qiuxu Teng Qiuxu Teng 2Jagadish Koya Jagadish Koya 2*Yangruiyu Liu Yangruiyu Liu 3*Zizhou Chen Zizhou Chen 3*Leli Zeng Leli Zeng 3*Zhe-Sheng Chen Zhe-Sheng Chen 2*Shuo FANG Shuo FANG 3*Yuchen Liu Yuchen Liu 3*Yihang Pan Yihang Pan 1*
  • 1 Scientific Research Center, Precision Medicine Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
  • 2 Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, St. John’s University, newyork, United States
  • 3 Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The connections between cancer stem cells (CSCs) and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is critical in cancer initiation, progression, metastasis, and therapy resistance, making it a focal point in cancer theragnosis. This review provides a panorama of associations and regulation pathways between CSCs and EMT, highlighting their significance in cancer. The molecular mechanisms underlined EMT are thoroughly explored, including the involvement of key transcription factors and signaling pathways. In addition, the roles of CSCs and EMT in tumor biology and therapy resistance, is further examined in this review. The clinical implications of CSCs-EMT interplay are explored, including identifying mesenchymal-state CSC subpopulations using advanced research methods and developing targeted therapies such as inhibitors and combination treatments. Overall, understanding the reciprocal relationship between EMT and CSCs holds excellent potential for informing the development of personalized therapies and ultimately improving patient outcomes.

    Keywords: cancer stem cells, Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition, biomarkers, targeted therapy, molecular mechanism 1. Introduction

    Received: 14 Apr 2024; Accepted: 06 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Wang, Lei, Teng, Koya, Liu, Chen, Zeng, Chen, FANG, Liu and Pan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Jinxiang Wang, Scientific Research Center, Precision Medicine Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
    Zi-Ning Lei, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, St. John’s University, newyork, United States
    Jagadish Koya, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, St. John’s University, newyork, United States
    Yangruiyu Liu, Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518100, Guangdong Province, China
    Zizhou Chen, Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518100, Guangdong Province, China
    Leli Zeng, Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518100, Guangdong Province, China
    Zhe-Sheng Chen, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, St. John’s University, newyork, United States
    Shuo FANG, Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518100, Guangdong Province, China
    Yuchen Liu, Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518100, Guangdong Province, China
    Yihang Pan, Scientific Research Center, Precision Medicine Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.