Lung Cancer (LC), colorectal cancer (CRC) and breast cancer (BC) are the major killers in
oncology, accounting for about 40% of cancer deaths. Although progresses have been made in
the last few years, unfortunately no patient with metastatic disease can obtain a definitive
cure.
A recent hypothesis is that cancer is driven by a small subpopulation of cells called "cancer
stem cells" (CSCs) or "tumor initiating cells" with an unlimited proliferative potential and
the ability to reproduce the original human tumor in experimental animal models. These cells
are thought to be responsible for the development of the tumor and represent the only cell
population able to sustain tumor growth and progression.
Therefore, CSCs represent the elective target for new targeted therapies, endowed with high
and selective toxicity towards the tumor but harmless towards normal cells.
Current technologies allow us to isolate and expand in vitro the CSCs from tumor specimens,
testing their sensitivity to different anticancer drugs in a short period of time.
Therefore, there is the potential opportunity to identify LC, CRC and BC CSCs.This is a
prospective study assessing feasibility of CSCS isolation in LC, CRC and BC.
Patients with a previously performed diagnosis of LC, colon cancer or breast cancer with no
further standard therapy options, with a Karnofsky performance status of 100% and with tumor
tissue available will be considered eligible for the study. Tumor tissue will be collected
before study entry, i.e tissue obtained during a diagnostic or therapeutical procedure, like
surgery or biopsies with other purposes than the protocol. In vitro tumor sensitivity to
chemotherapy drugs will be tested on tumor cell cultures per each patient.
Drugs and their combination will be considered effective and if they kill ≥ 60% of tumor stem
cells in vitro test. By using cancer spheres the investigators will also generate orthotopic
xenograft models that recapitulate the parental tumor behaviour, including the aggressive
features and the invasiveness potential. Orthotopic injection technique will be assessed in 5
weeks-old NOD/SCID mice