We exposed human colon cancer HCT116 cells to repeated cycles of a chemotherapeutic agent – doxorubicin (doxo) and demonstrated induction of hallmarks of TIS (e.g. growth arrest, hypertrophy, poliploidization and secretory phenotype) and certain properties of cancer stem cells (increased NANOG expression, percentages of CD24+ cells and side population). Here, CD24 is linked to malignant colon neoplasm.