The Current Understanding of Cancer Stem Cells and How They Can be Used To Treat Cancer
Cancer is the 2 nd most prevalent cause of death, accounting for 10 million annual deaths and half of all deaths for individuals older than 70 [out world in data]. The current standard of care is composed firstly of tumor resection and subsequent chemotherapy and radiation. These treatments have significantly reduced mortality of many cancers (such as prostate cancer, whose 5 year survival rate has increased from 68.7% in 1970 to 98.65 in 2013) and increased the overall 5-year survival rate of all cancers from 50.3% to 67% in the same period. However, despite this improvement, an aging population in many countries has led to a higher incidence rate of cancer, so both the absolute number and share of deaths attributed to cancer is increasing. To combat this, research investigating new approaches to treating cancer, such as immunotherapy, angiogenesis disruption, and differentiation therapy, is being conducted. One major avenue of research has been the study of tumor initiation and C