Therapeutic Targeting Strategies of Cancer Stem Cells in Gastrointestinal Malignancies

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are thought to be a distinct population of cells within a tumor mass that are capable of asymmetric division and known to have chemoresistant characteristics. The description and identification of CSC models in cancer growth and recurrence has inspired the design of novel treatment strategies to overcome treatment resistance by targeting both CSCs and non-CSC tumor cells. Several cellular signaling pathways have been described as playing a role in the induction and maintenance of stemness in CSCs, such as the Wnt/beta-catenin, Notch, STAT3, and Hedgehog pathways. In this review, we aim to review some of the ongoing CSC therapeutic targeting strategies in gastrointestinal malignancies.