The clinical, prognostic and therapeutic significance of liver cancer stem cells and their markers

Izabela Zarębska; Arkadiusz Gzil; Justyna Durślewicz; Damian Jaworski; Paulina Antosik; Navid Ahmadi; Marta Smolińska-Świtała; Dariusz Grzanka; Łukasz Szylberg

doi:10.1016/j.clinre.2021.101664

The clinical, prognostic and therapeutic significance of liver cancer stem cells and their markers

Clin Res Hepatol Gastroenterol. 2021 May;45(3):101664. doi: 10.1016/j.clinre.2021.101664. Epub 2021 Mar 3.

Authors

Izabela Zarębska¹, Arkadiusz Gzil², Justyna Durślewicz², Damian Jaworski², Paulina Antosik², Navid Ahmadi³, Marta Smolińska-Świtała², Dariusz Grzanka², Łukasz Szylberg⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Pathomorphology, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Sklodowskiej-Curie Str. 9, 85-094 Bydgoszcz, Poland. Electronic address: izabelazarebska@gmail.com.
² Department of Clinical Pathomorphology, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Sklodowskiej-Curie Str. 9, 85-094 Bydgoszcz, Poland.
³ Chair and Department of Oncologic Pathology and Prophylactics, Greater Poland Cancer Center, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland.
⁴ Department of Clinical Pathomorphology, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Sklodowskiej-Curie Str. 9, 85-094 Bydgoszcz, Poland; Department of Pathomorphology, Military Clinical Hospital, Bydgoszcz, Poland; Department of Tumor Pathology and Pathomorphology, Oncology Center, Prof. Franciszek Łukaszczyk Memorial Hospital, Bydgoszcz, Poland.

PMID: 33667731
DOI: 10.1016/j.clinre.2021.101664

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fourth most common cause of death among cancers. The poor prognosis of HCC might be caused by a population of cancer stem cells (CSC). CSC have similar characteristics to normal stem cells and are responsible for cancer recurrence, chemoresistance, radioresistance and metastasis. Liver cancer stem cells (LCSC) are identified via specific surface markers, such as CD44, CD90, CD133, and EpCAM (CD326). Recent studies suggested a complex interaction between mentioned LCSC markers and clinical features of HCC. A high expression of CSC is correlated with a negative prognostic factor after surgical resection of HCC and is connected with more aggressive tumor behavior. Moreover, LCSC might be responsible for increasing resistance to sorafenib, a kinase inhibitor drug. A reduction in the LCSC population may be crucial to successful advanced HCC therapy.

Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma; Liver cancer stem cells; Prognostic factors.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Biomarkers, Tumor
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* / therapy
Humans
Liver Neoplasms* / therapy
Neoplasm Recurrence, Local
Neoplastic Stem Cells
Prognosis

Substances

Biomarkers, Tumor