SOX2, a stemness gene, induces progression of NSCLC A549 cells toward anchorage-independent growth and chemoresistance to vinblastine

Background Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is difficult to treat successfully. This intractability is mainly due to the cancer progressing through invasion, metastasis, chemotherapeutic resistance and relapse. Stemness has been linked to the various steps of cancer progression in a variety of tumors, yet little is known regarding its role in NSCLC.