Preface -- I. The Biology of Cancer Stem Cells -- Cancer Stem Cells: A Quick Walk through the Concepts -- Cytokine Networks and Cancer Stem Cells -- Implications of CXCR4/CXCL12 Interaction for Cancer Stem Cell Maintenance and Cancer Progression -- Non-coding RNAs in Cancer and Cancer Stem Cells. Self-renewal Pathways in Mammary Stem Cells and Carcinogenesis II. Cancer Stem Cells in Human Malignancies -- Breast Cancer Stem Cells -- Lung Cancer Stem Cells -- Colorectal Cancer Stem Cells -- Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cells -- Glioblastoma Cancer Stem Cells -- Head and Neck Cancer Stem -- Leukemic and Lymphoid Stem Cells -- Leukemic Stem Cells in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia -- III. Novel Approaches for Targeting Cancer Stem Cells -- Targeting Key Stemness-Related Pathways in Human Cancers -- Targeting Cancer Stem Cells and the Tumor Microenvironment -- Cancer Stem Cells and Chemoresistance: Strategies to Overcome Therapeutic Resistance -- Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Radioresistance -- Therapeutic Implications of Cancer Stem Cell: Challenges and Opportunities in Translational Studies. Index.

The concept of cancer stem cells has great clinical implications. This is due to the fact that small subpopulations of these cells have been identified in a variety of neoplastic conditions ranging from solid tumors to liquid malignancies. Although there are some huge gaps in our current understanding of the role played by cancer stem cells in cancer biology, a growing body of evidence provides strong support for the principal functions of these cells in tumorigenesis. This has represented the potential of cancer stem cells in the development of novel and innovative tools for the treatment of metastatic tumors. This book aims to offer a broad framework for obtaining insight into the state-of-the-art knowledge on cancer stem cell biology and highlight the therapeutic implications of these cells in the future of clinical oncology.