Radiation Therapy Oncology Group Translational Research Program Stem Cell Symposium: Incorporating Stem Cell Hypotheses into Clinical Trials
Received 25 February 2009; accepted 3 March 2009. published online 18 June 2009.
At a meeting of the Translation Research Program of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group held in early 2008, attendees focused on updating the current state of knowledge in cancer stem cell research and discussing ways in which this knowledge can be translated into clinical use across all disease sites. This report summarizes the major topics discussed and the future directions that research should take. Major conclusions of the symposium were that the flow cytometry of multiple markers in fresh tissue would remain the standard technique of evaluating cancer-initiating cells and that surrogates need to be developed for both experimental and clinical use.
Reprint requests to: Wendy A. Woodward, M.D., Ph.D., The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Unit 1202, Houston, TX 77030. Tel: (713) 563-2300; Fax: (713) 563-6940
Conflict of interest: none.
Supported by The RTOG grants # U10CA21661 and #U24 CA114734.