Cancer Stem cells in breast cancer

Abstract

Many tissues have a tiny number of undifferentiated stem cells that cycle throughout an individual's lifetime, renewing the differentiated cells of tissues as needed. Many stem cells divide infrequently, and the divisions are asymmetric, meaning that one daughter cell stays a stem cell while the other commits to a differentiation path. In the field of breast cancer research, the hypothesis of cancer stem cells being responsible for tumor formation, maintenance, and treatment resistance has gained traction. Tumors are made of heterogeneous populations of cells with a hierarchical organization driven by cancer stem cells, and therapeutic targeting of these cells has the ability to remove residual disease (CSCs). When it comes to breast cancer, this small population of cells displaying stem cell properties is known as breast CSCs (BCSCs)