Editorial: Special Issue "Stem Cell Biology and Cancer".

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are now well-established as key players in tumor initiation, progression, and therapy resistance. The development of reliable cancer stem cell models provides valuable experimental approaches, not only to understanding the disease, but also to identifying novel testable therapeutic alternatives to therapy-resistant cancer. Understanding the mechanisms underlying CSC generation, maintenance, and developing targeted therapies against them is crucial to improving cancer treatment outcomes. The first event gives rise to a cancer-initiating cell (a preleukemic cell in the case of leukemia) that remains dormant because these cells are found in persons who will never develop cancer. [Extracted from the article]