Cancer Stem Cells in Glioblastoma

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common adult malignant brain tumor and is comprised of a heterogeneous population of cells. Despite advanced surgical and medical therapies, the 2-year survival rate for patients with GBM remain only 10–25%. Recently, increasing evidence suggest that the progression of GBM is driven by a small subpopulation of tumor cells, termed cancer stem cells. These cancer stem cells have capability of self-renewal, proliferation, and differentiation into the phenotypically diverse populations of cells similar to those present in the original GBM. Furthermore, these cancer stem cells are able to form tumors and generate both neuron-like and glial-like progenies after implantation into the brains of SCID mice. Here, we summarize the methods of isolating cancer stem cells from GMB, and discuss the implications of the cancer stem cell hypothesis for understanding the origin and growth of GBM and development of new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of brain tumors.