Immunotherapy in lung cancer: The potential of cancer stem cells in future therapies

摘要

Despite recent improvements in diagnosis and treatment, lung cancer remains a major public health problem. In 2013, lung cancer is expected to cause an estimated 28 of all cancer deaths in the USA, accounting for more deaths than the next four most common cancers combined. The overall 5-year survival rate for all patients with lung cancer is just 16. As a result, increased understanding of the biology of this disease and improvements in treatment are greatly needed. A unique population of tumor cells in a cancer, so called 'cancer-initiating' or 'cancer stem cells' (CSCs) is thought to be responsible for tumor organization, maintenance, progression and recurrence, and contribute to resistance to therapy. The discovery and characterization of CSCs are important advancements in cancer biology that may aid treatment of lung cancer by identifying new targets for immunotherapy.