Dynamics of CXCR4 positive circulating tumor cells in prostate cancer patients during radiotherapy.

Ablative radiotherapy is a highly efficient treatment modality for patients with metastatic prostate cancer (PCa). However, a subset of patients does not respond. Currently, this subgroup with bad prognosis cannot be identified before disease progression.

Polyphenols delivery by polymeric materials: challenges in cancer treatment.

Nanotechnology can offer different solutions for enhancing the therapeutic efficiency of polyphenols, a class of natural products widely explored for a potential applicability for the treatment of different diseases including cancer. While possessing interesting anticancer properties, polyphenols suffer from low stability and unfavorable pharmacokinetics, and thus suitable carriers are required when planning a therapeutic protocol. In the present review, an overview of the different strategies based on polymeric materials is presented, with the aim to highlight the strengths and the weaknesses of each approach and offer a platform of ideas for researchers working in the field.

An Epigenetic Reprogramming Strategy to Resensitize Radioresistant Prostate Cancer Cells.

Radiotherapy is a mainstay of curative prostate cancer treatment, but risks of recurrence after treatment remain significant in locally advanced disease. Given that tumor relapse can be attributed to a population of cancer stem cells (CSC) that survives radiotherapy, analysis of this cell population might illuminate tactics to personalize treatment. However, this direction remains challenging given the plastic nature of prostate cancers following treatment.

Cancer stem cell related markers of radioresistance in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Despite recent advances in understanding of the molecular pathogenesis and improvement of treatment techniques, locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains associated with an unfavorable prognosis. Compelling evidence suggests that cancer stem cells (CSC) may cause tumor recurrence if they are not eradicated by current therapies as radiotherapy or radio-chemotherapy. Recent in vitro studies have demonstrated that CSCs may be protected from treatment-induced death by multiple intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms.

Aldehyde Dehydrogenase Is Regulated by β-Catenin/TCF and Promotes Radioresistance in Prostate Cancer Progenitor Cells.

Radiotherapy is a curative treatment option in prostate cancer. Nevertheless, patients with high-risk prostate cancer are prone to relapse. Identification of the predictive biomarkers and molecular mechanisms of radioresistance bears promise to improve cancer therapies.

A role for cancer stem cells in therapy resistance: cellular and molecular mechanisms.

Similar to normal tissue, many tumors have a hierarchical organization where tumorigenic cancer stem cells (CSCs) differentiate into non-tumorigenic progenies. A host of studies have demonstrated that although CSCs and their non-tumorigenic progenies within the same clone can share common genotype, they display different epigenetic profiles that results in changes of multiple signaling pathways. Many of these pathways confer cell adaptation to the microenvironmental stresses including inflammation, hypoxia, low pH, shortage in nutrients and anti-cancer therapies.

CXCR4 as biomarker for radioresistant cancer stem cells.

Purpose: Radioresistance of cancer cells remains a fundamental barrier for maximum efficient radiotherapy. Tumor heterogeneity and the existence of distinct cell subpopulations exhibiting different genotypes and biological behaviors raise difficulties to eradicate all tumorigenic cells. Recent evidence indicates that a distinct population of tumor cells, called cancer stem cells (CSC), is involved in tumor initiation and recurrence and is a putative cause of tumor radioresistance.

Cancer biomarker discovery: current status and future perspectives.

Purpose: Cancer is a multigene disease which arises as a result of mutational and epigenetic changes coupled with activation of complex signaling networks. The use of biomarkers for early cancer detection, staging and individualization of therapy might improve patient care. A few fundamental issues such as tumor heterogeneity, a highly dynamic nature of the intrinsic and extrinsic determinants of radio- and chemoresistance, along with the plasticity and diversity of cancer stem cells (CSC) make biomarker development a challenging task.

A role of TGFß1 dependent 14-3-3σ phosphorylation at Ser69 and Ser74 in the regulation of gene transcription, stemness and radioresistance.

Transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) is a potent regulator of tumorigenesis, although mechanisms defining its tumor suppressing and tumor promoting activities are not understood. Here we describe phosphoproteome profiling of TGFβ signaling in mammary epithelial cells, and show that 60 identified TGFβ-regulated phosphoproteins form a network with scale-free characteristics. The network highlighted interactions, which may distribute signaling inputs to regulation of cell proliferation, metabolism, differentiation and cell organization.