Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSC) or tumor-initiating cells represent a small subpopulation of cells within the tumor bulk that share features with somatic stem cells, such as self-renewal and pluripotency. From a clinical point of view, CSC are thought to be the main drivers of tumor relapse in patients by supporting treatment resistance and dissemination to distant organs. Both genome instability and microenvironment-driven selection support tumor heterogeneity and enable the emergence of resistant cells with stem-like properties, when therapy is applied. Besides hypoxia and nutrient deprivation, acidosis is another selection barrier in the tumor microenvironment (TME) which provides a permissive niche to shape more aggressive and fitter cancer cell phenotypes. This review describes our current knowledge about the influence of the “acidic niche” on the stem-like phenotypic features of cancer cells. In addition, we briefly survey new therapeutic options that may help eradicate CSC by integrating and/or exploiting the acidic niche, and thereby contribute to prevent the occurrence of therapy resistance as well as metastatic dissemination.
Highlights
Despite a broader arsenal of therapies, prognosis is still very poor for several types of cancer
Recent findings reviewed here point to acidosis as one of the major selection barriers in the tumor microenvironment (TME) forcing the outgrowth of adaptive fitter phenotypes, when therapy is applied
While hypoxia has been reported as a CSCpermissive niche for many years, effects of acidosis by itself on Cancer stem cells (CSC)-related features were investigated more recently, upon the compelling evidence that oxygen and pH gradients were not perfectly overlapping in tumors
Summary
Pole of Pharmacology and Therapeutics (FATH), Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium. From a clinical point of view, CSC are thought to be the main drivers of tumor relapse in patients by supporting treatment resistance and dissemination to distant organs. Both genome instability and microenvironment-driven selection support tumor heterogeneity and enable the emergence of resistant cells with stem-like properties, when therapy is applied. This review describes our current knowledge about the influence of the “acidic niche” on the stem-like phenotypic features of cancer cells. We briefly survey new therapeutic options that may help eradicate CSC by integrating and/or exploiting the acidic niche, and thereby contribute to prevent the occurrence of therapy resistance as well as metastatic dissemination
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
