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7425548 
Journal Article 
Flavonoids and Cancer Stem Cells Maintenance and Growth 
Kandhari, K; Agraval, H; Sharma, A; Yadav, UCS; Singh, RP; , 
2018 
Springer Singapore 
Singapore 
Functional Food and Human Health 
587-622 
Normal stem cells are known to possess three important characteristics of self-renewal, restriction on stem cell numbers and ability to divide and differentiate. Compared to normal stem cells, the cancer stem cells (CSCs) have no control on the stem cell numbers. CSCs constitute a miniscule number of cells in the tumour and are responsible for tumour growth, recurrence and progression. CSCs play a vital role in drug resistance, EMT and metastasis, which are responsible for approximately 90% of cancer-related deaths. Thus, targeting CSCs has now gained significant importance in the control and treatment of various cancers. Traditional cancer therapy regimens have not been successful against cancer drug resistance and metastasis. In the recent past, numerous dietary compounds derived from natural sources have been found effective in chemoprevention and treatment of various cancers. Flavonoids are one of such naturally occurring polyphenolic compounds that are found abundantly in fruits, vegetables, tea, seeds, grains, nuts and some traditional medicinal herbs. Various flavonoids have also been shown to have an inhibitory effect on the self-renewal potential and survival of cancer stem cells of different origins. The aim of this chapter is to focus on cancer stem cells and their role in tumour progression and drug resistance and how chemoprevention using flavonoids can become an effective tool to control cancer growth.