Cancer Stem Cells and Endothelial Cells: An Ancient But Timeless Cooperation.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a highly tumorigenic cell population present in many malignancies and cancer cell lines, frequently exhibiting resistance to conventional chemotherapeutic agents. In this brief review, we discuss the ability CSCs to transdifferentiate into endothelial cells by expressing markers of the vascular endothelium. We highlight the similarities between mechanisms found in embryonic and tumor development, emphasizing mechanisms that enable CSCs to adopt an endothelial phenotype. Correlations with cellular and molecular mechanisms favoring CSC-to-endothelial transition, but also the impact on vasculogenic mimicry and antiangiogenic/antivascular drug resistance are also debated.