Cancer Stem Cell

[peterjems]

I would like to draw attention of all the members of Nature blog on the recent hot topic of cancer stem cells. As most of you know that cancer is now hypothesized to arise due to mutation in the stem cell and not in the somatic cell in general.However, recent data suggest that a cancerous cells can acquire stem cell phenotye.
So, irrespective of what might be the source of the cancer origin, cell biologists and immunologists should come together and look at this together.Though people may differ with regards to the origin or nomenclature of these rouge cells, but the fact that they acquire stem cell properties can be used efficiently to nail it down.
A serious misconception in the filed of stem cell or cancer stem cell is the fact that people claim a cell to be ?stem cell like? or "cancer-stem cell " when they report that these cells are expressing some of the stem cell markers (as determined by qPCR or any other technique).Another gold standard they use if the formation of spheroid structures as is seen in case of embroid bodies formation during development. To me it seems that one needs to be sceptical before claiming such things.Phenotypes are in no way an indication of the functionality of cells, however the reverse might be true.
I would appreciate people?s comments on this.

 

[barbara]

Peterjems - Next month, the host of the Ask the Doctor forum is CEO of a company that is doing stem cell research on cancer. This would be an excellent question I believe to submit to him. Would you like me to do that? I can also submit it for this month's forum if you like. Let me know.