This review summarizes the characteristics, evidences and development of CSCs, as well as implications and challenges for cancer treatment. Surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are universally recognized as the most effective anti-cancer therapies. Recent studies have showed that cancer stem cells (CSCs), a small subpopulation of tumor cells, can generate bulk populations of nontumorigenic cancer cell progeny through the self-renewal and differentiation processes.

The article is part of a series of Editorials published biannually that highlights a number of recently published articles that describe crucial findings. This article highlights 25 different articles that range from asthma treatment to new oral β-lactamase inhibitor (BLI).