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Microbes & Immunity

REVIEW ARTICLE
The biological characteristic and therapeutic

prospect of bladder cancer stem cells

Liqi Yin , Zongyi Shen , Nan Zhang , Lu Ying , Wenjing Zhang ,
1,2
1
1
1,2
1
Xiaoyang Chen , Youfeng Liang , Chunhui Li , Keying Yao , Changyuan Yu ,
1
1
1
1
1
Jianfeng Wang *, and Zhao Yang *
3
1,2
1 Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Innovation Center
of Molecular Diagnostics, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China
2 Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Protection
and Utilization of Biological Resources in Tarim Basin of Xinjiang Production and Construction
Corps, Tarim University, Alar, Xinjiang, China
3 Department of Urology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China
Abstract
Bladder cancer (BC), arising from bladder epithelial cells, is the most prevalent
malignant tumor of the urinary system. Its main pathological variants include
transitional cell carcinoma (TCC), squamous cell carcinoma, and adenocarcinoma,
with TCC further divided into non-muscle-invasive BC (NMIBC) and muscle-invasive
BC (MIBC). NMIBC accounts for 70% of all BC cases and is characterized by a favorable
prognosis yet a high recurrence rate (31 – 78%). Conversely, MIBC accounts for the
remainder of BC cases, characterized by high heterogeneity and poor prognosis.
Current treatment methods for BC predominantly encompass surgical resection,
*Corresponding authors: radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. However, these methods lack
Zhao Yang
(yangzhao@mail.buct.edu.cn) specificity, exhibit limited clinical efficacy, and often yield unsatisfactory treatment
Jianfeng Wang outcomes, predisposing BC to recurrence. On the other hand, BC stem cells (BCSCs)
(zryhyy1@126.com) are a subset of cells within heterogeneous BC, possessing robust abilities in self-
Citation: Yin L, Shen Z, Zhang N, renewal, differentiation, tumorigenicity, metastasis, and drug resistance. They play
et al. The biological characteristic a pivotal role in the initiation, progression, metastasis, and relapse of BC, rendering
and therapeutic prospect of bladder them ideal targets for targeted therapy. Research efforts in this field are currently
cancer stem cells. Microbes &
Immunity. 2024;1(1): 2377. focused on investigating the evolutionary origins, biomarkers, mechanism governing
doi: 10.36922/mi.2377 stemness maintenance, drug resistance, metastasis, metabolic reprogramming,
Received: December 5, 2023 immune evasion, and targeted therapies related to BCSCs. This article provides a
comprehensive review of the latest advancements in the biological characteristics
Accepted: March 18, 2024
and therapeutic prospects of BCSCs.
Published Online: March 29, 2024
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s). Keywords: Bladder cancer stem cell; Biomarkers; Self-renewal mechanisms; Drug
This is an Open-Access article
distributed under the terms of the resistance; Metastasis; Metabolic reprogramming; Immune evasion; Targeted therapy
Creative Commons Attribution
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is
properly cited. 1. Introduction
Publisher’s Note: AccScience Bladder cancer (BC) arises within the bladder mucosa and is the most prevalent malignant
Publishing remains neutral with tumor of the urinary system. Globally, it ranks as the tenth most common cancer. In 2020
1
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional alone, there were 573,278 new cases of BC reported worldwide, leading to 212,536 deaths
affiliations. among BC patients. Within the East Asia region during the same year, the incidence rate

Volume 1 Issue 1 (2024) 25 doi: 10.36922/mi.2377