The Existence and Potential of Cancer Stem Cells (Essay Sample)

The Existence and Potential of Cancer Stem Cells Name of Student Institution Affiliation The Existence and Potential of Cancer Stem Cells Cancer stem cells are a subset of cancer cells that give rise to the other malignant cells. Like normal stem cells in the bone marrow, cancer stem cells give rise to a wide variety of cells. They include; endothelial cells that line blood vessels supplying the malignant tissue, tumorigenic cells specific to the cancerous tissue and cells involved in metastasis. The presence of cancer cells is a very contentious issue in the scientific circles. There are two groups of experts; one group believes that malignant stem cells exist, while the other group thinks the discovery of cancer stem cells was done out of convenience. The aim they say was to simplify the pathophysiology of cancer (Ajani et al, 2015). My understanding is that cancer stem cells are real and they have the potential to change how cancer treatment is done. The proof has come from different teams of scientists who have conducted experiments using genetic labeling techniques to show the presence of cancer stem cells. In tests involving tumors of the skin, brain, and the colon, a group of primary cells was identified. These researchers have concluded that these cells are cancer stem cells. Tumor stem cells are the only hope as far as cancer treatment and management is involved. By coming up with drugs that can kill these cells, cancers is controlled. This is because principle malignant cells are the source of the rest of the cancer cells. Already a lot of effort is being directed towards finding drugs that target these particular cells. The most successful of this is a drug called TR4 developed by Trojantec Pharmaceutical Company (Pattabiraman & Weinberg, 2014). The drug is in the animal trial phase; already the preliminary reports are positive. This success has pro...