Altered Notch Pathway and Cancer Stem Cells

The highly conserved Notch pathway is important, as it is a regulator of self-renewal and differentiation. The Notch pathway is responsible for aberrant epigenetic modification, transcription, and translation. The progression and prognosis of cancer are controlled by the Notch pathway. Notch pathway plays an important role in cancer of the breast, colon, pancreas, head, and neck. Genes contain proteins, which have various functions, including cell growth. Genetic mutations can be an important cause of various cancers. The present chapter discusses the importance of the Notch pathway and genetic mutations related to cancer. The chapter also highlights the conversion of stem cells to cancer stem cells, cancer stem cell therapy, the genetic profile of cancer stem cells, and its effect on DNA. A proper understanding of the Notch pathway and genetic mutations may be important for future therapeutic targets against various cancers.