Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Cancer stem cells: mirage or reality?

Nature Medicine volume 15, pages 1010–1012 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

The similarities and differences between normal tissue stem cells and cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been the source of much contention, with some recent studies calling into question the very existence of CSCs. An examination of the literature indicates, however, that the CSC model rests on firm experimental foundations and that differences in the observed frequencies of CSCs within tumors reflect the various cancer types and hosts used to assay these cells. Studies of stem cells and the differentiation program termed the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) point to the possible existence of plasticity between stem cells and their more differentiated derivatives. If present, such plasticity would have major implications for the CSC model and for future therapeutic approaches.

This is a preview of subscription content

Access options

Buy article

Get time limited or full article access on ReadCube.

$32.00

Buy

All prices are NET prices.

Figure 1: Stem-differentiation hierarchy.

References

  1. Kelly, P.N., Dakic, A., Adams, J.M., Nutt, S.L. & Strasser, A. Science 317, 337 (2007).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Quintana, E. et al. Nature 456, 593–598 (2008).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Clarke, M.F. et al. Cancer Res. 66, 9339–9344 (2006).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Lapidot, T. et al. Nature 367, 645–648 (1994).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Al-Hajj, M., Wicha, M.S., Benito-Hernandez, A., Morrison, S.J. & Clarke, M.F. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100, 3983–3988 (2003).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Singh, S.K. et al. Cancer Res. 63, 5821–5828 (2003).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Bonnet, D. & Dick, J.E. Nat. Med. 3, 730–737 (1997).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Harris, M.A. et al. Cancer Res. 68, 10051–10059 (2008).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Thon, N. et al. Mol. Cell Neurosci. published online, doi: 10.1016/j.mcn.2008.07.022 (7 August 2008).

  10. Chiou, S.H. et al. Clin. Cancer Res. 14, 4085–4095 (2008).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Honeth, G. et al. Breast Cancer Res. 10, R53 (2008).

  12. Kennedy, J.A., Barabe, F., Poeppl, A.G., Wang, J.C. & Dick, J.E. Science 318, 1722 (2007).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Zhang, M. et al. Cancer Res. 68, 4674–4682 (2008).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Cho, R.W. et al. Stem Cells 26, 364–371 (2008).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Deshpande, A.J. et al. Cancer Cell 10, 363–374 (2006).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Wu, A. et al. Stem Cells Dev. 17, 173–184 (2008).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Mani, S.A. et al. Cell 133, 704–715 (2008).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Morel, A.P. et al. PLoS One 3, e2888 (2008).

  19. Thiery, J.P. Curr. Opin. Cell Biol. 15, 740–746 (2003).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Hugo, H. et al. J. Cell. Physiol. 213, 374–383 (2007).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Brabletz, T. et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 98, 10356–10361 (2001).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Yook, J.I. et al. Nat. Cell Biol. 8, 1398–1406 (2006).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Till, J.E., McCulloch, E.A. & Siminovitch, L. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 51, 29–36 (1964).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Santisteban, M. et al. Cancer Res. 69, 2887–2895 (2009).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Clarkson, B. & Strife, A. Leuk. Lymphoma 11, 101–107 (1993).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Barr, S. et al. Clin. Exp. Metastasis 25, 685–693 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Buck, E. et al. Cancer Res. 68, 8322–8332 (2008).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Li, X. et al. J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 100, 672–679 (2008).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Thomson, S. et al. Cancer Res. 65, 9455–9462 (2005).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Woodward, W.A. et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 104, 618–623 (2007).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

    Piyush B Gupta

  2. Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

    Christine L Chaffer & Robert A Weinberg

  3. Ludwig Center for Molecular Oncology/Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

    Christine L Chaffer & Robert A Weinberg

  4. Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

    Robert A Weinberg

Authors
  1. Piyush B Gupta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Christine L Chaffer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Robert A Weinberg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Robert A Weinberg.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gupta, P., Chaffer, C. & Weinberg, R. Cancer stem cells: mirage or reality?. Nat Med 15, 1010–1012 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0909-1010

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0909-1010

Further reading

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing