Stem Cell-Based Regenerative Medicine Therapy in Cancer

Stem cells play a unique role in various stages of an organism’s life cycle. Intensive research on the biology of stem cells has demystified many essential attributes of stem cells at molecular, cellular, and tissue levels. Not only has knowledge obtained from these studies deepened our understanding of these unique cell types, but it has also provided us with extraordinary opportunities to employ these cells in treatment in the form of regenerative medicine. Regenerative medicine deals with tissue restoration following damage. In the context of cancer, tissue damage is widespread due to the current cancer treatment modalities. More or less, all types of cancer treatments, namely, surgery, chemo-radiotherapy, and mastectomy, affect normal cells, and stem cell-based regenerative medicine therapy can replenish the damaged cell niche. Various stem cells have been developed for this purpose; some are currently being used in the clinic, while others are still developing. In this chapter, we will discuss the different therapeutic approaches and associated challenges for implementing stem cell therapies as regenerative medicine in cancer treatment.