Evaluation of somatostatin and nucleolin receptors for therapeutic delivery in non-small cell lung cancer stem cells applying the somatostatin-analog DOTATATE and the nucleolin-targeting aptamer AS1411.

Cancer stem cells represent the putative tumor-driving subpopulation thought to account for drug resistance, relapse, and metastatic spread of epithelial and other cancer types. Accordingly, cell surface markers for therapeutic delivery to cancer stem cells are subject of intense research. Somatostatin receptor 2 and nucleolin are known to be overexpressed by various cancer types, which have elicited comprehensive efforts to explore their therapeutic utilization.