Cancer stem cells and their vascular niche: Do they benefit from each other?

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) locate in and interact with particular vascular niches to maintain their stemness. CSCs induce, remodel and participate in the formation of microenvironmental niches to facilitate survival, stemness and escape from radio-/chemo-/bio-therapies. Neovasculature in tumor is often basement membrane-deficient and enriched with CSC-derived endothelial cells (ECs) and other mural cells, which may promote tumor invasion and metastasis. The aim of this review is to summarize recent findings about the crosstalk between CSCs and their vascular niches and discuss the potential therapeutic significance.