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Cancer's source in the peripheral nervous system

Nature Medicine volume 14, pages 373–375 (2008)Cite this article

Two studies examine the cellular origins of peripheral nervous system tumors in mouse models of neurofibromatosis type 1 and conclude that stem cells may not be the culprits. Instead, more differentiated cells may give rise to and drive the tumors.

The cellular origins of cancer are studied in two recent papers in Cancer Cell1,2. The findings suggest that peripheral nervous system tumors arising from deficiency in the neurofibromin (Nf1) gene arise in differentiated Schwann cells or their closely related restricted progenitors, not in stem cells. These studies add to a growing body of literature that pegs cancer's origins to progenitor cells, or differentiated cells, and not necessarily to the more popular candidates, stem cells.

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Figure 1: Tumor source.

Ana Thomson

References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Peter B. Dirks is in the Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumor Research Center, Program in Developmental and Stem cell Biology, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, 555 University Avenue Ontario, M5G 1X8 Canada. peter.dirks@sickkids.ca,

    Peter B Dirks

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  1. Peter B Dirks
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Dirks, P. Cancer's source in the peripheral nervous system. Nat Med 14, 373–375 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0408-373

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0408-373

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