Understanding the association of stem cells in fetal development and carcinogenesis during pregnancy

Abstract

Cancer during pregnancy is a rare event in the realm of obstetric statistics. Stem cells are known for their capability to renew their demographic to a variety of cell lineages. Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) originating from the blastocyst include haematopoietic stem cells (HSC) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). These cells play vital roles in the complex course of fetal growth and development. MSCs are found to suppress tumour growth by inhibiting PI3K/AKT pathway. Although a notable amount of literature is available about the occurrence of cancer during pregnancy, there is a lacuna about the interaction between the fetal stem cell (FSCs) and the cancer cells. A literature review revealed that the risk of ovarian cancer is reduced with an increase in fetal stem cells. After delivery, fetal microchimerism is observed to promote or suppress tumour growth under specific conditions. This review highlights the mechanism and extent of the association of FSC with the occurrence of various cancers during pregnancy. A new perspective on mother to fetus cancer transmission, which is commonly leukemia and melanoma, and the reasons for FSCs to respond differently to these cancers under various conditions have been identified by analyzing recent pieces of literature. This review also gives an idea about the existing and probable therapeutic benefits obtained from the FSCs in curbing the extent of maternal tumour metastasis. Stem cells are presently being manipulated to consistently express different chimeric antigen receptors or T cell receptors, countering tumour-associated antigens. Thus, this study highlights the therapeutic potential of the interesting crosstalk against haematological malignancies and solid tumours.