Abstract
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), including oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), is the sixth most prevalent malignancy worldwide. The prognosis of OSCC remains dismal; more than 50% of patients die of this disease or complications within 5 years. Tumor is composed of a heterogeneous population of cells, and it has been observed that a subpopulation of cells, so-called cancer stem cells (CSCs), within tumor tissues have stemness properties. CSCs are considered to be responsible for the initiation, propagation, metastasis of tumors. Importantly, the existence of CSCs might explain cancer recurrences, even after clinical treatment with either radiotherapy or chemotherapy on cancer patients. We have previously enriched oral cancer stem-like cells (OC-SLCs) from OSCC cells (OSCCs) or primary cultures of OSCC patients by tumor sphere formation approach. The isolated OC-SLCs possess both the characteristics of stem cells and malignant tumors. Additionally, elevated expression of stemness markers have been shown to negatively correlate with the survival prognosis of OSCC patients. In this review, we will discuss the discovery and the stemness properties of OC-SLCs from OSCC. Furthermore, these cancer stem-like cell properties in OSCC and other cancers should be warranted in the future translational oncology with the ultimate objective of improving anti-cancer therapy.
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