Cancer Stem Cells in Gastrointestinal Cancers

Human gastrointestinal cancersGastrointestinal cancers are highly heterogeneous malignancies. Clinically, heterogeneity largely contributes to tumor progression and therapeutic resistance. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a subpopulation of “stem-like” cancer cells and are regarded as the primary fuel for tumor heterogeneity; therefore, investigating tumor heterogeneity via CSC characteristics is critical for developing effective therapies for gastrointestinal cancersGastrointestinal cancers. CSCs are regarded as promising targets in cancer management. This chapter describes the latest insights into CSC characteristics, representative biomarkers, and signaling pathways implicated in the regulatory network of CSCs, explores the factors influencing therapy resistance in CSCs, and provides insight into preclinical and clinical CSC-targeting therapeutic strategies aimed at overcoming CSC-mediated therapy resistance.