Chemoresistance of Cervical Cancer Stem Cells: Challenges and Prospects

Susmita Mondal
Department of Zoology, Diamond Harbour Women’s University, Sarisha, West Bengal, India

Sutapa Saha
Department of Zoology, Diamond Harbour Women’s University, Sarisha, West Bengal, India

Saptarshi Chatterjee
Department of Zoology, University of Burdwan, Bardhaman, West Bengal, India

Biplab Bhowmik
Department of Zoology, Diamond Harbour Women’s University, Sarisha, West Bengal, India

DOI: https://doi.org/10.52756/lbsopf.2024.e01.016

Keywords: Cancer stem cells, Cervical cancer, Chemoresistance, Human papilloma virus (HPV), Self-renewal, Tumour microenvironment

Abstract:
Cervical cancer (CC) is one of the leading causes of death among women, with thousands of women diagnosed each year, particularly in developing countries where access to healthcare resources may be limited. Persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) induces CC. While advancements in treatment modalities, such as chemotherapy, have improved outcomes for many patients, a significant challenge remains in the form of chemoresistance, particularly in the context of cervical cancer stem cells (cCSCs). cCSCs are a small subpopulation of cells within CC with self-renewal and aberrant differentiation capacity. Upregulation of biomarkers expression such as CD44, CD133, Sox2, ALDH1 and etc. is often associated with robustness of cCSCs. cCSCs possess higher invasion, metastasis and drug resistance ability thereby leading to poor prognosis and relapse. Therapeutic strategies to manage advanced CC typically involve surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy mostly using platinum-based drugs. However, acquired chemoresistance of cCSCs is the biggest challenge to therapeutic outcomes. There are several mechanisms involved in chemotherapy resistance in cCSCs, such as enhanced DNA damage repair mechanisms, which include nucleotide excision repair and homologous recombination, and promoting survival pathways like PI3K/AKT, Wnt, Notch. Elevated drug transporters like ABCG2 are one of the key feature for the resistance phenotype of cCSCs. Furthermore, epigenetic modulation and mutual interaction of cCSCs with tumour microenvironment play crucial role to avoid chemotherapeutic damage. This chapter aims to explore the mechanisms underlying chemoresistance in cCSCs and discuss potential therapeutic strategies to overcome this challenge.

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How to Cite
Susmita Mondal, Sutapa Saha, Saptarshi Chatterjee and Biplab Bhowmik (2024). Chemoresistance of Cervical Cancer Stem Cells: Challenges and Prospects. © International Academic Publishing House (IAPH), Dr. Somnath Das, Dr. Ashis Kumar Panigrahi, Dr. Rose Stiffin and Dr. Jayata Kumar Das (eds.), Life as Basic Science: An Overview and Prospects for the Future Volume: 1, pp. 197-207. ISBN: 978-81-969828-9-8 doi: https://doi.org/10.52756/lbsopf.2024.e01.016

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