Embryonic stem cell pathways and chemotherapy response: an unexplored route

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a subpopulation of cancer cells with long-lasting tumorigenic potential. CSCs share with embryonic stem cells (ESCs) an unlimited self-renewal potential and a notable phenotypic plasticity which are sustained by common gene expression programs. CSCs have been associated with drug resistance and relapse in most cancer types. Although CSC-specific pathways were shown to mediate chemoresistance in several preclinical studies, methodological and conceptual complexity has obstructed the examination of this hypothesis in the clinical setting.