Stem Cell Cancer
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The stem cell cancer is a hypothetical type of stem cell that would form tumors while the properties of stem cells as autorenovación and the ability to differentiate into multiple cell types. One theory suggests that these cells persist in tumors as a distinct population and cause relapse and metastasis to give new growth to tumors. The development of therapies aimed at specific stem cells cancerous waiting improve survival and quality of life of cancer patients, especially for those suffering from metastatic disease.
The existing cancer treatments were developed primarily with animal models, where therapies can promote shrinkage of the tumor were considered effective. However, animals can not provide a complete model of human disease. In particular, the relapse of the tumor is exceptionally difficult to study in mice, whose lives do not exceed two years.
The effectiveness of cancer treatments is in the initial stages of testing, often measured by the amount of the mass killing of the tumor. Since the cancer stem cells form a very small proportion of the tumor, this may not necessarily select drugs that act specifically on stem cells. The theory suggests that the conventional chemotherapies kill or differentiated cells differentiated, forming the bulk of the tumor but that can not generate new cells. A population of cancer stem cells that gave rise, remain untouched and could cause a relapse of the disease.
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