RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Tumor Growth Need Not Be Driven by Rare Cancer Stem Cells JF Science JO Science FD American Association for the Advancement of Science SP 337 OP 337 DO 10.1126/science.1142596 VO 317 IS 5836 A1 Kelly, Priscilla N. A1 Dakic, Aleksandar A1 Adams, Jerry M. A1 Nutt, Stephen L. A1 Strasser, Andreas YR 2007 UL http://science.sciencemag.org/content/317/5836/337.abstract AB The cancer stem cell hypothesis postulates that tumor growth is driven by a rare subpopulation of tumor cells. Much of the supporting evidence for this intriguing idea is derived from xenotransplantation experiments in which human leukemia cells are grown in immunocompromised mice. We show that, when lymphomas and leukemias of mouse origin are transplanted into histocompatible mice, a very high frequency (at least 1 in 10) of the tumor cells can seed tumor growth. We suggest that the low frequency of tumor-sustaining cells observed in xenotransplantation studies may reflect the limited ability of human tumor cells to adapt to growth in a foreign (mouse) milieu.