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Revisiting the concept of cancer stem cells in prostate cancer

Oncogene volume 30, pages 1261–1271 (2011)Cite this article

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Abstract

The cancer stem cell (CSC) model proposes that cells within a tumor are organized in a hierarchical lineage relationship and display different tumorigenic potential, suggesting that effective therapeutics should target rare CSCs that sustain tumor malignancy. Here we review the current status of studies to identify CSCs in human prostate cancer as well as mouse models, with an emphasis on discussing different functional assays and their advantages and limitations. We also describe current controversies regarding the identification of prostate epithelial stem cells and cell types of origin for prostate cancer, and present potential resolutions of these issues. Although definitive evidence for the existence of CSCs in prostate cancer is still lacking, future directions pursuing the identification of tumor-initiating stem cells in the mouse may provide important advances in evaluating the CSC model for prostate cancer.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Cory Abate-Shen for comments on the manuscript. We apologize for our inability to cite many relevant papers due to length constraints. This work was supported by grants to MMS from the NIH and the DOD Prostate Cancer Research Program. MMS is a member of the NCI Mouse Models of Human Cancer Consortium.

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  1. Departments of Medicine and Genetics and Development, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA

    Z A Wang & M M Shen

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Wang, Z., Shen, M. Revisiting the concept of cancer stem cells in prostate cancer. Oncogene 30, 1261–1271 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/onc.2010.530

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