Cancer stem cell targets - a review.

The varied therapeutic approaches like radiotherapy, chemotherapy, surgery, etc. primarily aimed to target cancer cells specifically. Despite these efforts, they are not completely successful in eliminating this deadly pathological state. These failures ultimately lead to cancer reoccurrence, which is again, another burning problem associated with cancer. The prime reason for the above observation has been found to be the development of resistance by cancer cells towards cancer drugs or cancer-initiating cells (cancer stem cells) remain unaffected by existing treatment procedures. Recent research has evolved two drugs, salinomycin and apoptin, that hold great potential for the future of cancer treatment not only for restricting malignancy, but also in preventing tumor recurrence. The present review article will put light on these new upcoming cancer stem cell targeting agents.