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Article: STEM CELLS SEEN DRIVING TUMORS SCIENTISTS ID FOE IN WAR ON CANCER
- Article from:
- The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)
- Article date:
- December 26, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2004 The Boston Globe. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Stem cells have become famous for their ability to heal, spurring
hopes that they might one day cure Parkinson's disease, spinal cord
injuries, and a wide variety of ailments. But now a growing number of
researchers are concluding that stem cells are also the hidden force
behind one of nature's most feared killers: cancer.
Within each tumor, they believe, lurks a small population of
elusive, highly potent cells that drive the tumor's growth. Under a
microscope they appear identical to other cancer cells, but these
cancer stem cells hold the power to produce cancerous tumors in much
the same way that normal stem cells can regenerate the body's healthy
tissues. They also seem to resist ...