Cancer Cell De-Differentiation: Plasticity-Driven Stratagem For Tumor Metastasis and Recurrence.

Tumor recurrence is a colossal challenge in clinical oncology. This multifactorial problem is attributed to the emergence of additional genetic mutations and the presence of dormant cancer cells. However, the plasticity of non-stem cancer cells and the acquisition of cancer stem cell (CSC) functionality is another contributing factor to tumor recurrence.

Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Key Actors in Tumor Niche.

Tumors grow in privileged microenvironment referred to as the cancer niche. This niche is composed of cancer cells and various components including mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), fibroblasts, network of microvasculature added to innate and primed immune cells. Additionally, it encloses other elements such as the extracellular matrix (ECM), cytokines, chemokines and growth factors.

Dendritic cells in the skin--potential use for melanoma treatment.

Melanoma is an aggressive malignancy with poor prognosis. Eradication of tumor cells requires an effective interaction between melanoma cells and different players of the immune system. As the most potent professional antigen-presenting cells, dendritic cells (DCs) play a pivotal role in mounting a specific immune response where their intratumoral and peritumoral density as well as their functional status are correlated with clinical staging of the disease and with patients' survival.