Cancer stem cells and strategies for targeted drug delivery

Drug Deliv Transl Res. 2021 Oct;11(5):1779-1805. doi: 10.1007/s13346-020-00863-9. Epub 2020 Oct 23.

Abstract

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small proportion of cancer cells with high tumorigenic activity, self-renewal ability, and multilineage differentiation potential. Standard anti-tumor therapies including conventional chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and molecularly targeted therapies are not effective against CSCs, and often lead to enrichment of CSCs that can result in tumor relapse. Therefore, it is hypothesized that targeting CSCs is key to increasing the efficacy of cancer therapies. In this review, CSC properties including CSC markers, their role in tumor growth, invasiveness, metastasis, and drug resistance, as well as CSC microenvironment are discussed. Further, CSC-targeted strategies including the use of targeted drug delivery systems are examined.

Keywords: Anti-tumor therapy; Cancer biology; Cancer stem cells (CSCs); Drug delivery system; Drug-resistance.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents*
  • Drug Delivery Systems
  • Humans
  • Molecular Targeted Therapy
  • Neoplasms* / pathology
  • Neoplastic Stem Cells / pathology
  • Tumor Microenvironment

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents