Potential markers of cancer stem-like cells in ESCC: a review of the current knowledge

Lu Wang; Huijuan Liu; Yiqian Liu; Shixing Guo; Zhenpeng Yan; Guohui Chen; Qinglu Wu; Songrui Xu; Qichao Zhou; Lili Liu; Meilan Peng; Xiaolong Cheng; Ting Yan

doi:10.3389/fonc.2023.1324819

Potential markers of cancer stem-like cells in ESCC: a review of the current knowledge

Front Oncol. 2024 Jan 4:13:1324819. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1324819. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Lu Wang^{1

2}, Huijuan Liu^{1

2}, Yiqian Liu^{1

2}, Shixing Guo³, Zhenpeng Yan^{1

2}, Guohui Chen^{1

2}, Qinglu Wu^{1

2}, Songrui Xu^{1

2}, Qichao Zhou^{1

2}, Lili Liu^{1

2}, Meilan Peng^{1

2}, Xiaolong Cheng^{1

2}, Ting Yan^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Translational Medicine Research Center, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China.
² Key Laboratory of Cellular Physiology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Pathology, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China.
³ Clinical Laboratory Medicine Centre, Shenzhen Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, China.

Abstract

In patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), the incidence and mortality rate of ESCC in our country are also higher than those in the rest of the world. Despite advances in the treatment department method, patient survival rates have not obviously improved, which often leads to treatment obstruction and cancer repeat. ESCC has special cells called cancer stem-like cells (CSLCs) with self-renewal and differentiation ability, which reflect the development process and prognosis of cancer. In this review, we evaluated CSLCs, which are identified from the expression of cell surface markers in ESCC. By inciting EMTs to participate in tumor migration and invasion, stem cells promote tumor redifferentiation. Some factors can inhibit the migration and invasion of ESCC via the EMT-related pathway. We here summarize the research progress on the surface markers of CSLCs, EMT pathway, and the microenvironment in the process of tumor growth. Thus, these data may be more valuable for clinical applications.

Keywords: EMT; cancer stem-like cells; esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; microenvironment; surface markers.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by funding from the Research Program of Shanxi Province (20210302123292), the Central Guidance on Local Science and Technology Development Fund of Shanxi Province (YDZJSX2021A018), the Shenzhen Project of Science and Technology (JCYJ20190813094203600), and the innovative project of graduate education in Shanxi province (2022Y366).