Stem Cell Plasticity and Dormancy in the Development of Cancer Therapy Resistance

Cancer treatment with either standard chemotherapy or targeted agents often results in the emergence of drug-refractory cell populations, ultimately leading to therapy failure. The biological features of drug resistant cells are largely overlapping with those of cancer stem cells and include heterogeneity, plasticity, self-renewal ability, and tumor-initiating capacity. Moreover, drug resistance is usually characterized by a suppression of...