Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Cancer: Clinical Challenges and Opportunities

Stem cell-based therapies exhibit profound therapeutic potential for treating various human diseases, including cancer. Among the cell types that can be used for this purpose, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are considered as promising source of stem cells in personalized cell-based therapies. The inh...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Weiping Lin, Linfeng Huang, Ying Li, Bin Fang, Gang Li, Leilei Chen, Liangliang Xu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Hindawi Limited 2019-01-01
Series:BioMed Research International
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/2820853
Description
Summary:Stem cell-based therapies exhibit profound therapeutic potential for treating various human diseases, including cancer. Among the cell types that can be used for this purpose, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are considered as promising source of stem cells in personalized cell-based therapies. The inherent tumor-tropic property of MSCs can be used to target cancer cells. Although the impacts of MSCs on tumor progression remain elusive, they have been genetically modified or engineered as targeted anticancer agents which could inhibit tumor growth by blocking different processes of tumor. In addition, there are close interactions between MSCs and cancer stem cells (CSCs). MSCs can regulate the growth of CSCs through paracrine mechanisms. This review aims to focus on the current knowledge about MSCs-based tumor therapies, the opportunities and challenges, as well as the prospective of its further clinical implications.
ISSN:2314-6133
2314-6141