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Featured Review
Cell Science Reviews Vol 6 No 3
ISSN 1742-8130 |
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Role of cancer stem cells in breast tumors
Zhe Li 1,2
1 Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital &
2 Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Received 14th January © Cell Science 2010
Breast cancer cells are heterogeneous and many lines of evidence provide strong support for the existence of stem cell-like cells in breast tumors, as well as in premalignant breast lesions. These breast cancer stem cells (CSCs) may be responsible for initiation, progression, recurrence, and metastasis of breast cancer. Sophisticated mouse models of human breast cancer provide an excellent system to study the evolution of breast CSCs and to explore deregulated signaling pathways leading to their formation. This knowledge would form the basis for developing novel therapeutic approaches specifically targeting breast CSCs. These may include options such as targeting self-renewal of CSCs, targeting CSC niches, and inducing CSC differentiation. In addition, by targeting stem cell-like cells in premalignant breast lesions, novel chemopreventive drugs can be designed to lower breast cancer incidence in high-risk individuals.
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