As a common hematological malignant tumor, acute leukemia is believed to originate from a subpopulation of special cancer cells, named cancer stem cells. Cancer stem cells are recognized to be the main source of tumor origin, multidrug resistance, metastasis, and recurrence. Leukemic stem cells (LSCs) were first identified and confirmed to play an important role in the occurrence and development of leukemia. In this article, we summarize the following content: special markers and sorting methods for acute myeloid leukemia stem cells and the role of cancer stem cells in treatment resistance, metastasis and invasion, recurrence, and target treatment of acute leukemia.
Part of the book: Advances in Hematologic Malignancies