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Mark J. Shackleton, PhD; Elsa Quintana, PhD; Douglas R. Fullen, MD; Michael S. Sabel, MD; Timothy M. Johnson, MD

Arch Dermatol. 2009;145(3):307-308.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

What proportion of cells in a malignant neoplasm have the potential to proliferate extensively: all cells, most of them, or only a small minority? This fundamentally important question has direct implications for clinical practice. Which cancer cells need to be killed to cure patients? It is critical both for cancer biologists and for investigators who are seeking to develop new treatments for cancer to know exactly which cells drive cancer growth.

Traditionally, it has been thought that more or less all cells in a malignant neoplasm have a similar potential to proliferate, propagating the disease in a stochastic (random) manner (Figure, A). This theory led to the development of "hatchet" treatments, ie, surgery, radiation therapy, and cytotoxic agents, that sought to eliminate every cell in a malignant neoplasm. Such . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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