There goes the neighborhood: Vascular niche nurtures brain tumor stem cells

Source: Cell Press
Date: January 16, 2007

Summary:

Self-renewing cancer stem cells (CSCs) comprise only a tiny fraction of most brain tumors, but eliminating them is likely to have a profound impact on the ability of a tumor to survive and grow. However, CSCs might resist traditional therapies that target the great bulk of the cells in cancers. Now, new research published in the January 2007 issue of the journal Cancer Cell, published by Cell Press, reveals that small blood vessels associated with brain tumors orchestrate a distinct microenvironment that is critical for maintaining cancer stem cells (CSCs). Importantly, drugs that disrupt this microenvironment reduce the CSC population and arrest tumor growth.