Abstract
Recurrence and resistance to standard chemo- or radiotherapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma contribute significantly to the limited improvement of overall survival in head and neck cancer patients. The cancer stem cell hypothesis postulated that a subpopulation of cancer cells possess self-renewal ability, and produce differentiated cells to form the tumor mass. These cells may have distinct genotype and phenotype, and fail to respond to most of the current chemo- and radiotherapy, leading to tumor recurrence and resistance to therapy. Thus, identifying, characterizing, and understanding the cellular and molecular biology of putative cancer stem cells will provide a novel and possibly yield a more effective therapeutic approach. In this chapter, I will review recent advances on cancer stem cells in head and neck cancer and summarize them into four topics: (1) Putative cancer stem cell markers for head and neck cancer. (2) The PI3K/PTEN/AKT signaling as regulator for cancer stem cells. (3) Metastatic cancer stem cells and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. (4) Targeting head and neck cancer stem cells for cancer therapy
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