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Table 3 Classification of neoplastic stem cells (NSC)

From: Cancer stem cells in basic science and in translational oncology: can we translate into clinical application?

Defining properties

Premalignant NSC

Malignant NSC = CSC/LSC

Self-renewal

Yes

Yes

Cell cycle

Dormant or very slowly cycling

Slowly cycling or more rapidly cycling

Immediate tumor-initiating potential

Noa

Yes

Long-term tumor-initiating potential

Facultative potentiala

Yes

Numbers of somatic acquired molecular lesions/mutations

Relatively low

Relatively high

Drug response

Intrinsic resistance (based in part on quiescence)

Intrinsic and often also acquired resistance in malignant subclones

  1. aThe potential of a NSC to produce a neoplastic condition does not mean that this cell can form a tumor within a certain time period; however, after a certain latency period, when a sufficient number of molecular lesions have been accumulated, these premalignant NSC may transform to fully malignant NSC (=CSC/LSC) that have immediate tumor-initiating capacity in vivo in patients as well as in NSG mice. In a subset of patients, premalignant NSC will never convert into fully malignant NSC (= CSC/LSC). NSC, neoplastic stem cells; CSC/LSC, cancer stem cells/leukemic stem cells.