In analogy to normal stem cell differentiation, the current cancer stem cell (CSC) model presumes a hierarchical organization and an irreversible differentiation in tumor tissue. Accordingly, CSCs should comprise only a small subset of the tumor cells, which feeds tumor growth. However, some recent findings raised doubts on the general applicability of the CSC model and asked for its refinement.
In analogy to normal stem cell differentiation, the current cancer stem cell (CSC) model presumes a hierarchical organization and an irreversible differentiation in tumor tissue. Accordingly, CSCs should comprise only a small subset of the tumor cells, which feeds tumor growth. However, some recent findings raised doubts on the general applicability of the CSC model and asked for its refinement.