الفهرس 
Stem Cells In The Life Of An OrganismOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
At present, we are in the midst of an exciting turn of events in which the principles of stem cell biology have been applied to cancer biology. This leads to the realization that disruption of the processes of quiescence and differentiation (viewed as two sides of the coin of stem cell self-renewal) can lead to cancer. The term ‘cancer stem cell’ is an operational term defined as a cancer cell that has the ability to self-renew giving rise to another malignant stem cell as well as a cell that will give rise to the phenotypically diverse cancer cells. Although the origin of CSCs is still debatable, it has been demonstrated variably that they may be generated from tissue-specific stem cells, progenitor cells, or mature cells or through fusion of tissue-residing cells with bone marrow–derived stem cells or cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Major differences between the two cell groups include the genetic and epigenetic changes in CSCs that secure and establish transforming events and make disease progression a certainty. The identification of cancer stem cells has thus opened up a new avenue in cancer biology. Cancer stem cells (CSCs), first identified in acute leukemias, have now been isolated from several human malignancies, such as breast, brain, prostate, and also in retinoblastomas and melanomas. The recent studies have identified certain novel potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets expressed in leukemic or tumorigenic and migrating cancer stem cells and their progenies during cancer progression. Consequently, these new identified biomarkers and molecular targets could be exploited to develop new diagnostic and prognostic tests and preventive and therapeutic approaches for treating cancer patients.