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Thyroid cancer stem cells

Nature Reviews Endocrinology volume 7, pages 609–616 (2011)Cite this article

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Abstract

Thyroid cancer is the most frequently diagnosed endocrine cancer and causes more deaths than all other endocrine cancers combined. Research findings support the concept that a subpopulation of thyroid cancer cells displays properties characteristic of stem cells. These putative cancer-forming entities drive tumorigenesis as a result of their dual ability to undergo self-renewal and to differentiate into various types of cancer cells; they also mediate metastasis and are resistant to the effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. This Review discusses the cellular origin of thyroid cancer and the properties of the thyroid cancer stem cell niche. The article critically evaluates the methods used to identify molecular markers expressed by thyroid-cancer-initiating cells and outlines prospective therapeutic strategies to directly target these cells. Stem-cell technology offers an unprecedented opportunity to investigate these crucial cancer stem cell populations and to advance understanding of the molecular mechanisms that control disease processes. Such knowledge could potentially lead to the development of more effective and safer treatment regimens for late-stage thyroid cancer than are currently available.

Key Points

  • The multistep carcinogenesis model suggests that well-differentiated thyroid cancer cells can transform into undifferentiated thyroid cancer cells

  • The fetal cell carcinogenesis model postulates that thyroid cancer cells are derived from remnants of fetal thyroid cells rather than from mature thyroid follicular cells

  • The cancer stem cell model predicts that a small subset of cancer cells has the ability to self-renew and to produce progenitor cells that reconstitute and sustain tumor growth

  • Cancer stem cells have been detected in several forms of thyroid cancer through the use of antigenic markers and exploitation of in vitro and in vivo stem-cell assays

  • Thyroid cancer stem cells initiate tumorigenesis, mediate metastasis and confer resistance to the currently available regimens of chemotherapy and radiation therapy

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Figure 1: Models of thyroid cancer development.
Figure 2: In vivo strategy to identify thyroid cancer stem cells.
Figure 3: Influence of the cancer stem cell model on thyroid cancer treatments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine and Saint Louis University Cancer Center, 1100 South Grand Boulevard, Saint Louis, 63104, MO, USA

    Reigh-Yi Lin

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Lin, RY. Thyroid cancer stem cells. Nat Rev Endocrinol 7, 609–616 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2011.127

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