The Role of Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) in Cancer Immunotherapy
A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Cancer Biology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 4 August 2024 | Viewed by 1388
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
It is evident that immunotherapy, particularly anti-PD1/L1 therapy, has revolutionized cancer therapy. However, it is not yet clear why anti-PD1/L1 is effective while other checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs), such as those targeting CTLA4, IDO-1, and TIGIT may be less effective or not effective at all. Could the reason for cancer immunotherapies not being equal be that the successful ones also target cancer stem cells (CSC) rather than just modulating immune effector cells? Could this be the reason many promising cancer immunotherapies, such as cancer vaccines and IL-2 modulating agents, turn out to be rather disappointing, because they failed to consider the role of CSC in the cancer-immunity cycle?
This Special Issue aims to inspire research and provide data to elucidate a stemness origin and nature of cancer as exemplified by CSC that may enable us to improve the design of cancer immunotherapy specifically and of cancer therapy generally. It may empower us to identify patients with the right tumor phenotypes who may benefit from immunotherapy. Importantly, it may inform us regarding how and when to combine immunotherapy with other therapeutic modalities to target different tumor compartments, components, and the microenvironment, comprising both CSC and differentiated cancer cells to optimize the therapeutic benefits of immunotherapy in cancer care.
Dr. Shi-Ming Tu
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- cancer stem cells
- cancer-initiating cell
- immunotherapy
- cancer vaccines
- checkpoint inhibitors
- tumor neoantigens
- cancer immunity
- immune microenvironment
Planned Papers
The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.
Title: Unveiling the Nexus of Cancer Stem Cells and Immunotherapy: Insights, Challenges, and Therapeutic Prospects
Authors: Sivapar V. Mathan; Rana P. Singh
Affiliation: 1. Cancer Biology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
2.Special Centre for Systems Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
3.Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
Abstract: Immunotherapy is a promising approach to cancer treatment, but its effectiveness varies widely, with many patients showing resistance to it. Although we have a good understanding of the mechanisms of resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, we still need to better understand the resistance to immunotherapy. Immunotherapy works by targeting the tumor microenvironment (TME), but this requires a deep understanding of the cellular interactions involved. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) play a significant role in immunotherapy resistance by evading immune surveillance through differential expression of surface markers, cytokine secretion, and modulation of immune cell metabolism. In this review, we focus on CSC-targeted immunotherapy and its prospects for novel treatment modalities. CSCs have unique characteristics that make them critical components in both tumor progression and therapy resistance. They promote an immunosuppressive environment by manipulating immune cell populations and checkpoint expression, making them essential for effective tumor eradication post-immunotherapy. Targeting CSCs is necessary for effective treatment. We discuss the feasibility of using immunotherapies against CSCs, including T-cell adaptations and checkpoint inhibitors. We also highlight recent trends and the potential of immunotherapy in CSC eradication. Transcriptomic analyses reveal that CSCs are associated with immune signatures, suggesting reciprocal interactions that shape the TME. Understanding CSC-specific immunological features is crucial for developing targeted therapies. This review outlines the mechanisms of immune evasion by CSCs and discusses potential interventions, including nanomedicine-based strategies for immune modulation. The intersection of CSCs and immunotherapy holds promise for cancer treatment. We explore CSC immunogenicity and opportunities for cellular immunotherapies, including CAR-T cell strategies, and ongoing clinical studies offer insights into future therapeutic approaches.
