Current stem cell research & therapy, cilt.16, ss.792-800, 2021 (SCI-Expanded)
Cancer stem cells represent a rare subpopulation of cancer cells carrying self-renewal and differentiation features in multi-step tumorigenesis, tumor recurrence and metastasis. Pro inflammatory stress is highly associated with cancer stemness via induction of cytokines, tumor promoting immune cells and cancer stemness-related signaling pathways. This review summarizes the major pro-inflammatory factors affecting cancer stem cell characteristics and the critical immunotherapeutic strategies to eliminate cancer stem cells.