Mechanisms promoting physiological cells progression into tumorigenesis.

Cancer as the most frequent cause of death worldwide requires detailed investigation of its biology. This knowledge may open a new possibilities of generating novel targets, help to overcome issues of drug resistance, improve therapeutic efficacy, and make disease treatment more successful. The major advance in recent years was the discovery of the cancer stem cells (CSCs) population responsible for tumor maintenance. Numerous signalling pathways and genes connected with stem cell biology, such as an alternation in multiple malignancies resulting from the WNT/β-catenin signalling pathway, have been identified. Crucial is knowledge concerning CSCs dependence and interactions with adjacent stromal cells that comprise a specialized microenvironment or niche. The niche shelters cells from diverse genotoxic factors thereby strengthening antitumor therapy resistance, and supports the growth of primary tumors converting non-tumorigenic cells into CSCs by processes related to the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Moreover, numerous experiments confirmed that target genes of WNT signalling are implicated in cell-adhesion, which in consequence has an impact on EMT. This suggests a model that integrates a number of fundamental processes that underlie disease development and it should be put forward as an important target for novel therapies. Hence, linking the potency of silanols moiety, as innovative inhibitors of EMT resistant with the anticancergenic properties of selenium agents that targeting genetic basis of cancer stem cells development, requires a need for a design, synthesis and evaluation of novel compounds as a prospective direction of cancer research.