The CD44std and CD44v9 subpopulations in non-tumorigenic invasive SNU-423 cells present different features of cancer stem cells.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a type of liver cancer, in which CD44 isoforms have been proposed as markers to identify cancer stem cells (CSCs). However, it is unclear what characteristics are associated with CSCs that exclusively express CD44 isoforms. The objective of the present study was to determine the expression of CD44 isoforms and their properties in CSCs.