Cancer Stem Cell Markers in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma and Its Relevance for Therapy

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a kind of common cancer in head and neck. Its survival rate in five years is hovering at 50%-60%. Cancer stem cells play a key role in the pathogenesis, development, recurrence and metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Objective: To investigate the characteristics of nasopharyngeal carcinoma stem cells and to search for agents that interfere with nasopharyngeal carcinoma stem cells, and to find the basis for the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Method: The information about nasopharyngeal cancer stem cells was collected from scientific journals, books, theses and reports via academic libraries and electronic search. These sources include Web of Science, SciFinder, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, Splinker, ACS, IEEE, Willy, CNKI, etc. Result: It requires an increased understanding of the biomarkers of nasopharyngeal carcinoma stem cells. CD44 and CD133 are generally accepted nasopharyngeal cancer stem cell biomarkers, moreover ABCG2, ALDH1, CD24 may also be used as potential markers. Currently, the intervention medicines targeting nasopharyngeal carcinoma stem cells or stem cell markers are monomer compounds including celecoxib, AT13387, gefitinib, rapamycin, polyphenols, parthenolide and salinomycin, as well as traditional Chinese medicine Qi-Boosting Toxin-Resolving Formulae. Conclusion: Targeting the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma stem cells is an effective method for the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. However, it is necessary to further understand its characteristics and find more markers, so as to guide the clinical treatment.