Medulloblastoma stem cells: modeling tumor heterogeneity.

Authors :: Manoranjan B
Venugopal C
McFarlane N
Doble BW
Dunn SE
Scheinemann K
Singh SK
Source :: Cancer letters [Cancer Lett] 2013 Sep 10; Vol. 338 (1), pp. 23-31. Date of Electronic Publication: 2012 Jul 14.
Publication Year :: 2013
Abstract: Brain tumors represent the leading cause of childhood cancer mortality, with medulloblastoma (MB) being the most frequent malignant tumor. In this review we discuss the morphological and molecular heterogeneity of this malignant childhood brain tumor and how this key feature has implicated the presence of a MB stem cell. We focus on evidence from cerebellar development, histopathological and molecular subtypes of MB, the recent identification of brain tumor-initiating cells (BTICs, also referred to as MB stem cells), and the current limitations in studying the interplay between MB stem cells and tumor heterogeneity.<br /> (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)