Table 1.

Differences between cancer epithelial cells and CSCs.

Cancer epithelial cells	CSCs
Noninvasive with limited self-renewal potential and usually divide with a finite replicative capacity [24]	Invasive, migratory properties. CSCs exhibit self-renewal capabilities, allowing them to give rise to both identical CSCs and differentiated cancer cells, contributing to tumor perpetuation [25]
Typically more differentiated and closely resemble mature cell types [26]. They often form the bulk of the tumor	Less differentiated and exhibit properties akin to stem cells. They can differentiate into various cell types found within the tumor [25]
Cell polarity often responsible for initiating the tumor. They are derived from CSCs or non-CSC tumor cells [27].	CSCs have the unique ability to initiate tumor growth when transplanted into animal models, and they are considered the “seeds” of the tumor [28]
High expression of cell adhesion molecules [29]	Low (focal point) adhesion [30]
They usually display limited heterogeneity and represent the dominant, mature cell population within the tumor [31]	CSCs contribute to intratumoral heterogeneity by giving rise to both CSCs and differentiated cancer cells, resulting in a diverse cell population [32]
Nonmotile [33]	Highly mobile with stem cell-like behavior [25]
TGFβ can lead to epithelial mesenchymal transition, promote metastasis and invasion [27]. Hence it can count as biomarker	CSCs express distinctive stem cell markers, including CD44, CD133, and specific transcription factors (e.g., OCT4, SOX2, NANOG), associated with pluripotency and self-renewal [34]