Are surface markers of cancer stem cells reliable factors for cancer treatment follow-up?

Abstract

Recent studies have explained that cancer stem cells (CSCs) can both instigate and maintain tumours. As a result, they are a good choice for targeted therapy in the treatment of aggressive cancers, and their long-term assessment is essential for the follow-up of therapeutic agent efficacy. However, several studies have revealed that their detection on the basis of surface markers is challenging. In this area, there are two main questions. First, why are surface markers of the CSCs so difficult to detect in in vitro studies? Second, are CSCs' surface markers reliable factors when assessing cancer treatment efficacy? In order to consider these questions, we made three assumptions: (1) CSCs can grow in environmental conditions and in vitro studies, (2) stress exists within in vitro conditions, and (3) isotope diversity in surface markers might lead to problems in reliable identification.

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