ASH 50th Anniversary Review by John Dick

Stem cell concepts renew cancer research by John E Dick, Blood 2008(Dec 15);112(13): 4793-4807. Abstract:

Although uncontrolled proliferation is a distinguishing property of a tumor as a whole, the individual cells that make up the tumor exhibit considerable variation in many properties, including morphology, proliferation kinetics, and the ability to initiate tumor growth in transplant assays. Understanding the molecular and cellular basis of this heterogeneity has important implications in the design of therapeutic strategies. The mechanistic basis of tumor heterogeneity has been uncertain; however, there is now strong evidence that cancer is a cellular hierarchy with cancer stem cells at the apex. This review provides a historical overview of the influence of hematology on the development of stem cell concepts and their linkage to cancer.

One of the most recent of the 50th Anniversary Reviews of the American Society of Hematology (ASH).