Tumor invasion and metastasis remain the leading causes of mortality for patients with cancer despite current treatment strategies. In some cancer types, recurrence is considered inevitable due to the lack of effective anti-metastatic therapies. Recent studies across many cancer types demonstrate a close relationship between cancer-initiating cells (CICs) and metastasis, as well as general cancer progression. First, this review describes CICs’ contribution to cancer progression. Then we discuss our recent understanding of mechanisms through which CICs promote tumor invasion and metastasis by examining the role of CICs in each stage. Finally, we examine the current understanding of CICs’ contribution to therapeutic resistance and recent developments in CIC-targeting drugs. We believe this understanding is key to advancing anti-CIC clinical therapeutics.

Graphical Abstract

中文翻译：

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阐明 CIC：癌症起始细胞在肿瘤进展中的作用的多器官检查

尽管目前的治疗策略，肿瘤侵袭和转移仍然是癌症患者死亡的主要原因。在某些癌症类型中，由于缺乏有效的抗转移疗法，复发被认为是不可避免的。最近对许多癌症类型的研究表明，癌症起始细胞 (CIC) 与转移以及一般癌症进展之间存在密切关系。首先，这篇综述描述了 CIC 对癌症进展的贡献。然后，我们通过检查 CIC 在每个阶段的作用来讨论我们最近对 CIC 促进肿瘤侵袭和转移的机制的理解。最后，我们研究了目前对 CIC 对治疗耐药性的贡献的理解以及 CIC 靶向药物的最新发展。

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