Abstract: Endometrial carcinoma, which is one of the most common gynecologic malignant tumors, severely threatens women’s health, and its incidence is showing an increasing trend in recent years. Cancer stem cells are defined as a subset of cancer cells with abilities of self-renewal, unlimited proliferation, multipotential differentiation and high tumorigenicity. Current emerging evidences indicate that the cancer stem cells are likely responsible for the development, progression, metastasis and recurrence of endometrial carcinoma. These may be the main reasons for the poor prognosis. This review is a conclusion of the sources and characters of cancer stem cells, and their special surface markers in endometrial carcinoma.

Key words: endometrial cancer, cancer stem cells, surface markers, diagnosis and treatment