tumor-microenvironment
A circulating cancer stem cell (cCSC) is a subpopulation of circulating tumor cells with stem-like self-renewal and tumor-initiating capacity, typically marked by CD44, CD133, ALDH1, SOX2, OCT4, and NANOG expression.
cCSCs act as “metastatic founders” and are associated with chemoresistance and poor prognosis.
Related terms
Source papers
- Circulating Tumor Cells in the Blood Microenvironment: Survival Mechanisms and Metastatic Potential doi:10.1186/s44424-026-00056-0