Title:Bladder Cancer and Stem Cells
VOLUME: 7 ISSUE: 3
Author(s):Tomasz Drewa, Sandra Krzyzanowska, Andrzej Marszalek and Anna Bajek
Affiliation:Karlowicza 24, 85-092 Bydgoszcz, Poland.
Keywords:Cancer stem cell, tumor biology, urinary bladder, carcinogenesis, phenotypic, metastatic, Neoplastic cells, post-mitotic, glycoproteins, lymphocyte
Abstract:Bladder cancer is the second most common malignancy of urinary tract. Normal bladder urothelium is a
transitional epithelium which consist of 3-7 layers and three different types of cells. The question is what kind of cells is
responsible for bladder cancer development, probably stem cells? Stem cells can be sensitive to changes in their
environment including toxic substances related to smoking. These changes within stem cells may potentially induce
carcinogenesis by limiting their differentiating potential but expanding their proliferative potential. This process is directly
connected with stem cell senescence in which DNA alterations play an important role. Cancer stem cells have become the
target in treating various cancers. Tumor initiating cells within bladder cancer have been isolated. It has to be tested what
connections are between cancer stem cells and tumor initiating cells. Characteristic markers and proteins may help to
identify bladder cancer stem cells and thus early stages of bladder cancer. Moreover, bladder cancer stem cells undergo
signaling pathways which play critical role both in normal and cancer stem cells.
