Quiescent cancer cells (QCCs) are cancer cells that are reversibly suspended in G₀ phase with the ability to re-enter the cell cycle and initiate tumor growth, and, ultimately, cancer recurrence and metastasis. QCCs are also therapeutically challenging due to their resistance to most conventional cancer treatments that selectively act on proliferating cells. Considering the significant impact of QCCs on cancer progression and treatment, better understanding of appropriate experimental models, and the evaluation of QCCs are key questions in the field that have direct influence on potential pharmacological interventions. Here, this review focuses on existing and emerging preclinical models and detection methods for QCCs and discusses their respective features and scope for application. By providing a framework for selecting appropriate experimental models and investigative methods, the identification of the key players that regulate the survival and activation of QCCs and the development of more effective QCC-targeting therapeutic agents may mitigate the consequences of QCCs.

Quiescent cancer cells (QCCs), also known as dormant cancer cells, resist and survive chemo- and radiotherapy, resulting in treatment failure and later cancer recurrence when QCCs resume cell cycle progression. However, drugs selectively targeting QCCs are lacking. Saikosaponin A (SSA) derived from Bupleurum DC., is highly potent in eradicating multidrug-resistant prostate QCCs compared with proliferative prostate cancer cells. By further exacerbating the already increased autophagy through inactivation of Akt-mTOR signaling, SSA triggered cell death in QCCs. Contrarily, inhibition of autophagy or activation of Akt signaling pathway prevented SSA-induced cell death. The multicycle of Docetaxel treatments increased the proportion of QCCs, whereas administering SSA at intervals of Docetaxel treatments aggravated cell death in vitro and led to tumor growth arrest and cell death in vivo. In conclusion, SSA is posed as a novel QCCs-eradicating agent by aggravating autophagy in QCCs. In combination with the current therapy, SSA has potential to improve treatment effectiveness and to prevent cancer recurrence.

Mycomedicine is a unique class of natural medicine that has been widely used in Asian countries for thousands of years. Modern mycomedicine consists of fruiting bodies, spores, or other tissues of medicinal fungi, as well as bioactive components extracted from them, including polysaccharides and, triterpenoids, etc. Since the discovery of the famous fungal extract, penicillin, by Alexander Fleming in the late 19th century, researchers have realised the significant antibiotic and other medicinal values of fungal extracts. As medicinal fungi and fungal metabolites can induce apoptosis or autophagy, enhance the immune response, and reduce metastatic potential, several types of mushrooms, such as Ganoderma lucidum and Grifola frondosa, have been extensively investigated, and anti-cancer drugs have been developed from their extracts. Although some studies have highlighted the anti-cancer properties of a single, specific mushroom, only limited reviews have summarised diverse medicinal fungi as mycomedicine. In this review, we not only list the structures and functions of pharmaceutically active components isolated from mycomedicine, but also summarise the mechanisms underlying the potent bioactivities of several representative mushrooms in the Kingdom Fungi against various types of tumour.

People seek Chinese medicine (CM) treatments for a variety of respiratory disorders, e.g., asthma and upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). No previous studies have reviewed the data available in medical records from Australian clinics. This study aims to identify the characteristics of patients with respiratory disorders who visited a CM teaching clinic at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. Primary data from January 2010 to December 2011 were collected from patient records in a CM teaching clinic at RMIT University. Patient data, including demographics, primary complaint, clinical history, lifestyle, CM treatment, and adverse events, were analyzed with descriptive statistics and the Chi square test using SPSS version 21.0. From 1677 clinical records we identified 261 patients with respiratory disorders. The patients made a total of 842 visits (mean: 3.2 visits/patient; range: 1–34 visits) during the study period. The mean age of the patients was 38.5 ± 17.9 years, and the majority were female (65.5 %). The most common respiratory disorders were URTI (27.8 %), cough (20.8 %), hay fever or allergic rhinitis (18.6 %), sinus congestion (11.2 %), and asthma (7.6 %). Acupuncture was given at almost all visits (97.5 %) and was frequently combined with herbs (64.0 %). Fifteen adverse events were reported, but none were considered severe. In the CM teaching clinic, respiratory conditions were a common presenting complaint of patients, and were safely treated with a combination of acupuncture and herbs.