Table of Contents
What are Cancer Stem Cells?
Cancer stem cells are small clusters of cells within tumors that can self-renew, create different cell types, and increase the progression of cancer in the body. Cancer stem cells play an important role in the growth of tumors. The tumors can be eliminated or reduced, but CSCs remain in the cancer patient’s body and can revive cancer. Scientists are researching a lot on cancer stem cells and developing therapies for them.
Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the Global Cancer Stem Cells Market
In this blog, we will understand the difference between cancer stem cells and cancer cells and different methods of cancer stem cell detection.
The Cancer Stem Cell Theory
Cancer Stem Cells Vs Cancer Cells
The below table will provide you with some insights into normal stem cells and cancer stem cells.
| Feature | Cancer Stem Cell | Cancer Cell |
| Definition | Group of tumor cells with stem-like properties. | Various types of cells are found within a tumor. |
| Self-Renewal | They can self-renew or continuously regenerate cancer stem cells | They can’t self-renew. |
| Differentiation | Can differentiate into various cell types found in tumor. | The cells are more differentiated and specialized. |
| Tumor Formation | They are highly tumorigenic, they initiate and sustain the tumor growth. | They can’t initiate tumors but can contribute to tumor bulk. |
| Treatment | After the cancer stem cells are detected they are resistant to conventional therapies which leads to treatment failure and fallback. | They can be treated by conventional therapies like chemotherapy and radiation. |
| Population Size | They compromise a small fraction of the total tumor cell population. | The cancer cells are a major part of the tumor mass. |
| Involvement in Spreading | The cancer stem cells play a huge role in spreading and cancer regeneration. | It is involved in tumor expansion but not in spreading or cancer regeneration. |
| Research Emphasis | Scientists are developing therapies to eradicate tumors and prevent recurrence. | Scientists study to understand tumor growth and respond to the treatment. |
Methods of Cancer Stem Cell Detection
Cancer stem cells are a critical focus in cancer studies as they can self-renew and differentiate which contributes to tumor initiation, progression, and regeneration. Cancer stem cell detection is often overlooked due to normal cancer cells. In this section, we will understand the different methods of cancer stem cell detection.
1. Cell Surface Makers
➤ Flow Cytometry
Flow Cytometry is a lab test that analyzes the cancer cell characteristics, particularly cancer stem cells. These CSCs are identified and sorted by tagging the cells with fluorescent antibodies. These techniques help in diagnosing cancer, understanding immune functions, and developing targeted treatment strategies.
➤ Immunohistochemistry
Immunohistochemistry is one of the best methods for cancer stem cell detection because one can
detect specific markers on the surface, these antibodies help to identify the marker which helps the pathologists to count CSCs in tissue samples. It helps to detect cancer, understand the behavior, and develop treatment strategies.
2. Functional Analysis
➤ Sphere Formation Analysis:
CSCs form spheroids in detached conditions, this method helps to identify the cells that are growing in a sphere shape and have stem-like properties.
➤ Colony Formation Analysis:
The analysis helps to identify the single cells to expand and form colonies. CSCs can form colonies that are easily detectable in labs.
3. Genetic and Molecular Techniques
➤ Gene Expression Analysis:
It helps to analyze the expression of genes associated with stemness, and it can help to identify CSCs. Several techniques like PCR or RNA can be used for sequencing.
➤ Single-cell RNA Sequencing:
This method helps pathologists to identify between CSCs and non-stem cancer cells.
4. Advancing Imaging Techniques
➤ In Vivo Imaging:
Biological light emission or fluorescent visualization can be used in animal models to track CSCs within tumors over time.
➤ Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI):
This imaging technique helps to identify if there are any CSCs present and visualizes tumor characteristics.
5. Metabolic Analysis
➤ Assessment of Metabolic Activity:
Certain techniques like seahorse analysis help to analyze the metabolic activity. They identify the CSCs based on the energy production.
6. Cell Culture Techniques
➤ Limiting Dilution Analysis:
It helps in diluting the tumor cells and testing how many can grow into tumors in animals. This helps the pathologists to understand how many CSCs are present in animals.
Conclusion
We hope you have understood different methods of cancer stem cell detection. These techniques are still being deeply researched to reduce cancer stem cells and improve survival rates. These methods help researchers to distinguish between cancer cells and cancer stem cells to innovate new treatment therapies specifically for cancer stem cell detection.
