Recent findings, first in leukemia and then in solid cancer, that only a fraction of the cells in a cancer tissue are capable of initiating and maintaining cancer growth have led to an intense focus on the stem cell nature of cancer. Expectations are that we will be able to hone in on cell of origin, identify molecular pathways that drive the growth of these cells, and most importantly, that we will develop new cancer stem cell-directed treatment that will lead to durable cancer cures. In this session, recent findings in cancer stem cell biology will be presented, with emphasis both on the promise and challenges facing the field.
Forum: Cancer Stem Cells: Advances and Challenges

Carla Kim. Children's Hospital, Boston, MA

Yuan Zhu. Univ. of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI,