About this Research Topic
Cancer is a highly heterogeneous disease. Even a single tumor may include a diverse collection of cancer cells with quite different molecular and biological features. This kind of heterogeneity (also known as cell-to-cell variability) has been demonstrated to be closely related to tumor progression and treatment failure. In brief, higher heterogeneity may indicate worse survival outcomes and a higher probability of therapeutic resistance. Interestingly, it has been suggested that intratumor heterogeneity may arise from a subpopulation of cancer cells with high self-renewal capacity. These stem-like cells are highly plastic and can undergo phenotypic switching to different tumor clones. In addition, these cells are typically in a slow-cycling state and have a high expression of drug-resistance proteins to avoid cytotoxicity from chemotherapy, thus, they can serve as the source of drug resistance and tumor relapse. Stemness can thus be considered a critical driver of tumor heterogeneity, suggesting a close relationship between the two concepts. Collectively, addressing tumor heterogeneity and stemness has remarkable clinical significance and may provide a new therapeutic opportunity to improve clinical benefit.
Although a lot of recent studies have revealed critical regulators mediating increased tumor heterogeneity and stemness, many of them did not have translational potential. Therefore, more efforts are required to uncover the potential mechanisms underlying the occurrence and interaction of heterogeneity and stemness in cancers and to ultimately address these adverse factors to achieve a better therapeutic outcome.
This Research Topic will focus on the recent advances in exploring molecular mechanisms as well as the therapeutic exploitation of tumor heterogeneity and stemness in cancers. Topics of this collection include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Molecular mechanisms revealing the regulators of tumor heterogeneity and stemness;
• Potential interaction between tumor heterogeneity and stemness;
• Novel therapeutic approaches by targeting tumor heterogeneity and stemness;
• Risk assessment strategies based on tumor heterogeneity and stemness;
• Drug response prediction via measuring tumor heterogeneity and stemness.
Although a lot of recent studies have revealed critical regulators mediating increased tumor heterogeneity and stemness, many of them did not have translational potential. Therefore, more efforts are required to uncover the potential mechanisms underlying the occurrence and interaction of heterogeneity and stemness in cancers and to ultimately address these adverse factors to achieve a better therapeutic outcome.
This Research Topic will focus on the recent advances in exploring molecular mechanisms as well as the therapeutic exploitation of tumor heterogeneity and stemness in cancers. Topics of this collection include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Molecular mechanisms revealing the regulators of tumor heterogeneity and stemness;
• Potential interaction between tumor heterogeneity and stemness;
• Novel therapeutic approaches by targeting tumor heterogeneity and stemness;
• Risk assessment strategies based on tumor heterogeneity and stemness;
• Drug response prediction via measuring tumor heterogeneity and stemness.
Keywords: Tumor Heterogeneity ;Tumor stemness; Cancer treatment
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