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Cancer stem cells and their implication in breast cancer
Author(s) -
Carrasco E.,
Álvarez Pablo J.,
Prados José,
Melguizo Consolación,
Rama Ana R.,
Aránega Antonia,
RodríguezSerrano Fernando
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
european journal of clinical investigation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.164
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1365-2362
pISSN - 0014-2972
DOI - 10.1111/eci.12276
Subject(s) - breast cancer , stem cell , cancer stem cell , clinical trial , cancer , medicine , metastasis , disease , oncology , cancer research , bioinformatics , biology , genetics
Background The cancer stem cell ( CSC ) hypothesis on the origin of cancer has recently gained considerable support. CSC s are tumour cells with the capacity for self‐renewal and differentiation that direct the origin and progression of the disease and may be responsible for relapse, metastasis and treatment failures. Design This article reviews breast CSC s ( BCSC s) phenotyping, clinical implications and clinical trials focused on BCSC s in breast cancer. Relevant studies were found through PubMed and Clinicaltrials.gov databases. Results Cancer stem cells are identified and isolated using membrane and cell activity markers; in the case of BCSC s, these are CD 44 + / CD 24 low/− and show aldehyde dehydrogenase activity, alongside their capacity to grow and form mammospheres. The presence of stem cell properties is associated with a worse outcome. Hence, these cells have important clinical implications, and elucidation of the mechanisms underlying their activity will allow the development of novel effective therapies and diagnostic instruments, improving the prognosis of these patients. Conclusions Standard treatments are directed against the tumour mass and do not eliminate CSC s. There is therefore a need for specific anti‐ CSC therapies, and numerous authors are investigating new targets to this end, as reported in this review. It is also necessary for clinical trials to be undertaken to allow this new knowledge to be applied in the clinical setting. However, there have been few trials on anti‐ BCSC s therapies to date.