Isolation of cancer stem like cells from human adenosquamous carcinoma of the lung supports a monoclonal origin from a multipotential tissue stem cell.

There is increasing evidence that many solid tumors are hierarchically organized with the bulk tumor cells having limited replication potential, but are sustained by a stem-like cell that perpetuates the tumor. These cancer stem cells have been hypothesized to originate from transformation of adult tissue stem cells, or through re-acquisition of stem-like properties by progenitor cells. Adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC) is an aggressive type of lung cancer that contains a mixture of cells with squamous (cytokeratin 5+) and adenocarcinoma (cytokeratin 7+) phenotypes.

Establishment of human ovarian serous carcinomas cell lines in serum free media.

Ovarian cancers are the fifth leading cause of cancer death among US woman. The majority of ovarian cancers belong to a category of serous adenocarcinomas. This type of cancer is often diagnosed at a late stage of the disease.

Isolation and establishment of human tumor stem cells.

Current cancer therapies are based on the ability to inhibit the growth of rapidly dividing cells, the majority of which constitute the tumor. Although for decades, sporadic literature has posited the existence of cancer stem cells (CSCs), only recently has this type of cell been isolated and characterized from solid tumors. Like stem cells from their normal counterpart, CSCs are a rare population that can reconstitute a new tumor with similar composition and phenotype to the tumor of origin.