fig8

Figure 8. Cancer stem cells within a colorectal cancer tissue and drug resistance or drug sensitive phenotype. Tumorigenic cells in colon cancer existed as a high-density CD133⁺ population. Small population of CD133⁺ cells that are tumorigenic and drug resistant when subcutaneously implanted in immunodeficient mice reproduce the original tumor properties. In contrast, CD133^- cells do not develop tumors and show drug sensitive phenotype. CSC: Cancer stem cell.