Abstract
Several solid tumors have now been shown to contain stem cell-like cells called cancer stem cells (CSCs). These cells, although generally rare, appear to be highly tumorigenic and may be the cells that drive tumor formation, maintain tumor homeostasis, and mediate tumor metastasis. In this chapter, we first summarize our current knowledge of stem/progenitor cells in the normal human prostate, an organ highly susceptible to hyperproliferative diseases such as benign prostate hyperplasia and prostate cancer (PCa). Then we provide our insight on how a CSC should be defined. We further review the evidence of CSCs in PCa. Along with our discussion, we present several methodologies that can be potentially used to identify putative tumor-initiating CSCs. Finally, we discuss the involvement of CSCs in metastasis and the potential implications of the CSC model in helping us to understand the progression of prostate carcinogenesis and metastasis and to design novel diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic approaches.
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