Cancer Stem Cells: Basic Concept and Therapeutic Implications

This book comprehensively reviews the role of cancer stem cells (CSCs) in cancer initiation, progression, and resistance to anticancer therapies. The initial chapters examine the methods and procedure of the detection, isolation, and characterization of CSCs. It also introduces various epigenetic pathways that contribute to cancer initiation and tumorigenesis, particularly regarding the maintenance and survival of CSCs. It also explores the role of CSCs metabolism and the mechanisms of metabolic plasticity of CSCs in cancer biology. Further, it also presents the implications of CSCs on the origin of tumor heterogeneity and on heterogeneity of the therapeutic response. Towards the end, this book highlights the different immunotherapeutic approaches targeting CSCs with the potential of strongly improving cancer outcomes. This book offers a broad framework to scientists and clinicians into the state-of-the-art knowledge on cancer stem cell biology and highlights their therapeutic implications. ​

Dr Farhadul Islam is an Associate Professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh. His research interests are focused on cancer biology, cancer genetics, epigenetics, drug development, and identification of the molecular markers in various cancers. He has more than 10 years of teaching and research experience in Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Oncology, Cancer Pathology, Drug Development and Discovery. He is serving as an Associate Editor of BMC Cancer, Editorial Broad Member of Anticancer Agents and Medicinal Chemistry and Guest Editor of Frontiers in Endocrinology and Frontiers in Oncology. He has been awarded several prestigious awards, including Academic Excellence Award and Chancellor's medal, Early Career Researcher award from Griffith University, Australia. He was also awarded Dean's Award from Faculty of Science, University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh for his outstanding research performance. He has published more than 70 research articles in peer-reviewed international journals and has authored or co-authored several book chapters and book on cancer pathogenesis. He also is a member of many national and international scientific societies and organizations.Professor Alfred Lam is a senior visiting pathologist and Professor of Pathology in Griffith University, Australia since 2004. His research focuses on diagnosis, molecular biology, cancer stem cell and treatment of cancers, in particular endocrine, gastrointestinal as well as head/neck tumours. He has published more than 450 referred journal articles, contributed more than 70 chapters in books on cancers, including chapters in World Health Organization books on tumours in Endocrine system, Head & Neck, and Digestive system. He has also edited 3 books in topics on molecular pathology of cancers as well as an editor of Fifth edition of World Health Organization book on tumours of the Digestive system. In addition, he contributed to more than 10 cancer structured report for use in Australia and globally and was nominated to Chair the development of the Dataset for the reporting of oesophageal cancer by International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting (ICCR).