ABSTRACT
Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most common tumors of the central nervous system, which is the most lethal brain cancer. GBM treatment is based primarily on surgical resection, combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Despite the positive treatment, progression free survival and overall survival were not significantly prolonged because GBM almost always recurs. We are always looking forward to some new and effective treatments. In recent years, a novel treatment method called tumor treating fields (TTFields) for cancer treatment has been proposed. TTFields devices were approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for adjuvant treatment of recurrent and newly diagnosed GBMs in 2011 and 2015, respectively. This became the first breakthrough treatment for GBM in the past 10 years after the FDA approved bevacizumab for patients with relapsed GBM in 2009. This paper summarized the research results of TTFields in recent years and elaborated the mechanism of action of TTFields on GBM, including cell and animal experimental research, clinical application and social benefits.
ABSTRACT
AIM:To isolate and culture tumor stem cells in human retinoblastomas (RTSC). METHODS: Retinoblastoma (RB) single cells acquired from fresh tumors of RB patients by enzyme digestion were seeded in serum-free medium at a density of 1?10~8 cells/L. Clonal cultures were plated at a density of 1?10~6 cells/L. Secondary tumor spheres were triturated again and passaged in fresh medium. The sphere-forming, proliferation and differentiation assays were performed. RT-PCR and immunocytochemistry were performed to identify the RTSC and differentiated cells. RESULTS: All RB tumors studied produced proliferating neurosphere-like tumor spheres, which were also passaged multiple times. These tumor spheres had the capability to self-renew, proliferate in SFM medium, expressed retinal progenitor cell related genes, and differentiated into neurons and glia when they were transferred to differentiation conditions.CONCLUSION:Our findings demonstrated that there were subsets of tumor stem cells resembling retinal progenitor cells in human RB, which can be isolated, cultured in SFM. The RTSC may be original cells of RB tumor, and also become the new target of tumor therapy.