QCCs have long gained significant interest as potential “seeds” for recurrent cancers. Clinical evidence suggests that a subset of cancer cells exits the cell cycle and enters a quiescent state following anti-cancer treatment. These microscopic-residual QCCs are extremely challenging to trace and detect within patients. Additionally, QCCs resist conventional anti-cancer therapies due to the lack of cell activity. Notably, upon the unknown environmental cues in unknown time points, sometimes decades later, QCCs can reactivate, triggering cancer relapse at primary or secondary sites. Currently, no targeted therapies or diagnostic tools exist for QCCs, and their molecular regulatory mechanisms remain largely unknown. The major challenge in understanding QCCs lies in the limited availability of human-relevant pre-clinical models that trace and collect QCCs in vivo. This review provides an overview of existing QCC tracing systems and analyzes their limitations. It also cautiously proposes potential improvements for tracing QCCs in vivo based on recent advancements in QCC studies and lineage-tracing techniques. Developing human-relevant and easily accessible in vivo tracing systems will be a crucial step in advancing QCC diagnostics and therapeutic strategies.
静息癌细胞（QCCs）作为癌症复发的潜在“种子”长期以来备受关注。临床证据表明，部分癌细胞在抗癌治疗后退出细胞周期进入静息状态。这些显微残留的QCCs在患者体内极难追踪和检测。此外，由于缺乏细胞活性，QCCs能够抵抗常规抗癌疗法。值得注意的是，在未知时间点（有时甚至数十年后）受到未知环境信号刺激时，QCCs可能重新激活，引发原发或继发部位的癌症复发。目前尚无针对QCCs的靶向疗法或诊断工具，其分子调控机制也大多未知。理解QCCs的主要挑战在于缺乏能够在体内追踪和收集QCCs的人类相关临床前模型。本综述系统梳理现有QCC追踪体系，分析其局限性，并基于QCC研究谱系追踪技术的最新进展，审慎提出改进体内QCC追踪的潜在方案。开发人类相关且易于操作的体内追踪系统，将成为推进QCC诊断与治疗策略的关键一步。
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家