Novel Markers of Cancer Stem Cells in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer, and its prognosis remains poor. The poor prognosis results from recurrence, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. Recently, cancer stem cells (CSCs) were shown to result in treatment failure, but their function and identification are not well understood in HNSCC. Previously, several markers of CSCs in HNSCC have been reported from 2007 to 2009. However, whether these markers serve as true markers of CSCs remains controversial. Thus, there is a need to explore novel CSC markers in HNSCC. Since 2013, several novel HNSCC CSCs markers have been reported, and in this review we describe and discuss these markers.