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Cancer Stem Cells and the Ontogeny of Lung Cancer

Craig D. Peacock, D. Neil Watkins

From the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD

Corresponding author: D. Neil Watkins, MBBS, PhD, The Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 1550 Orleans St, Rm 546, Baltimore, MD 21231; e-mail: nwatkins{at}jhmi.edu

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the world today and is poised to claim approximately 1 billion lives during the 21st century. A major challenge in treating this and other cancers is the intrinsic resistance to conventional therapies demonstrated by the stem/progenitor cell that is responsible for the sustained growth, survival, and invasion of the tumor. Identifying these stem cells in lung cancer and defining the biologic processes necessary for their existence is paramount in developing new clinical approaches with the goal of preventing disease recurrence. This review summarizes our understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms operating within the putative cancer-initiating cell at the core of lung neoplasia.

Supported by the Commonwealth Foundation, the National Cancer Institute/Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE Grant No. P50CA058184), the Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute's Young Clinical Scientist Award (Grant No. 01250), and the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Foundation.

Authors’ disclosures of potential conflicts of interest and author contributions are found at the end of this article.