Abstract
Bladder cancer (BC) is a complex and highly heterogeneous stem cell disease associated with high morbidity and mortality rates if it is not treated properly. Early diagnosis with personalized therapy and regular follow-up are the keys to a successful outcome. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are the leading power behind tumor growth, with the ability of self-renewal, metastasis, and resistance to conventional chemotherapy. The fast-developing CSC field with robust genome-wide screening methods has found a platform for establishing more reliable therapies to target tumor-initiating cell populations. However, the high heterogeneity of the CSCs in BC disease remains a large issue. Therefore, in the present review, we discuss the various types of bladder CSC heterogeneity, important regulatory pathways, roles in tumor progression and tumorigenesis, and the experimental culture models. Finally, we describe the current stem cell-based therapies for BC disease.
Highlights
Bladder cancer (BC), referred to as urothelial carcinoma (UC), is the most frequent neoplasm of the urinary tract
We describe cancer stem cells (CSCs) in BC disease, their important markers, and their roles
Among them are CD44, CD67LR, EMA, CD133, SOX2, SRY-Related HMG-Box4 (SOX4), ALDH1A1, EZH1, BMI1, MAGE-A3, programmed cell death (PD)-L1, YAP1, and COX2/PGE2/STAT3, as well as the molecules related to hedgehog, phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT, Wnt/β-catenin, Notch [21,22], and c-Myc signaling pathways [23,24]
Summary
Bladder cancer (BC), referred to as urothelial carcinoma (UC), is the most frequent neoplasm of the urinary tract. BC is associated with high morbidity, mortality, and high costs for treatment [1,2]. It is the fifth most occurring cancer in the United States; the laboratory models that reflect the biology of the disease are scarce. Cells 2020, 9, 235 subtype of BC is more complicated, difficult to treat, shows more stemness and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) [5], and is often metastatic [6] more than the luminal subtype which is mostly nonmuscle-invasive [5,6]. Urothelial carcinoma could be regarded as a stem cell disease. We introduce different experimental culture models and newly developed stem cell-based therapy for BC disease
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