DM treatment of A549 cells also caused a significant reduction in clonogenic ability by two thirds, as well as halving anchorage‐independent colony formation and spheroid growth, alongside a reduced expression of stemness markers SOX2, NANOG, CD44 and ABCG2, and of ALDH activity and aquaporin function. These results indicate decreased pathogenic features of NSCLC cells after DM exposure, suggesting that pro‐differentiation treatment may represent a valuable option for further preclinical testing. Here, SOX2 is linked to non-small cell lung carcinoma.