A Minority Subpopulation of <scp>CD</scp>133⁺/<scp>EGFR</scp>v<scp>III</scp>⁺/<scp>EGFR</scp>⁻ Cells Acquires Stemness and Contributes to Gefitinib Resistance

Abstract

EGFRvIII contributes to the stemness of cancer stem cells through coexpression with CD133 in GBMs. Furthermore, CD133(+) /EGFRvIII(+) /EGFR(-) cells have the ability to initiate tumor formation and may contribute to gefitinib resistance.