It remains plausible that many cancers will suddenly become curable at some point in the next decade or so - even in their later stages - through the identification and targeted destruction of the cancer stem cells that power the cancer's growth:

The promise - the hoped for possibility - of cancer stem cells is that they represent a small, manageable, less complex range of biochemical targets to prevent and destroy cancer. The biotechnology of this year and next can flip genetic switches and safely destroy cells with specific markers - if we just know where to look, what to destroy, what to change.

Over the past few years, researchers have started the long process of cataloging cancers with identifiable stem cells at their root, and the unique signatures of those cancer stem cells. Those biochemical signatures in theory provide a template for targeted cell destruction therapies currently under development: engineered viruses, nanoparticle assemblies, immune therapies, and so forth. Given a distinct cell type, researchers can deplete its population without harming other cells or damaging tissues elsewhere in the body - a far cry from the present brute force approach of chemotherapy, and something that has been demonstrated numerous times in the laboratory.

On this topic I noticed a good open access paper today that provides an introduction to - and overview of - the near future of this branch of medical research.

Therapeutics formulated to target cancer stem cells: Is it in our future?:

When discussing potential targets for the treatment of cancer today, the conversation will generally lean towards targeted therapy of cancer stem cells (CSCs). With the identification of potential defining characteristics for CSCs, there have also been more questions raised as to which of these characteristics may make better targets. For many years, research seemed to focus on isolating CSCs by specific identifying markers but the research has seemed to shift towards identifying the way in which these stem cells behave that make them different from bulk tumor cells. Limited efficacy has been seen with the use of cell surface markers in clinical trials; however, there have been recent advances that target other aspects such as signaling pathways or genetic alterations seen particularly in CSCs. The following is a review of what information is out there and what seem to be the most promising paths on this journey to identifying therapeutic targets of self-renewing CSC sub-populations.

For the other side of the debate on cancer stem cells, you might look back into the archives. Not all researchers think that cancer stem cells are a viable target for therapies, or that they are in fact a sustaining force for cancer:

• The Skeptical View of Cancer Stem Cell Research
• Another Blow To Cancer Stem Cells

From my outsider's perspective, the competing evidence for and against the cancer stem cell hypothesis might be resolved if it turns out that only some cancers have clearly identifiable stem cells at their root. But we shall see how it all turns out: the research community is certainly going to spend a great deal of time and money over the next decade trying to destroy cancer by identifying and targeting its stem cells.