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An update on the biology of cancer stem cells in breast cancer

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Abstract

Breast cancer stem cells are defined as cancer cells with self-renewal capacity. These cells represent a small subpopulation endowed with the ability to form new tumours when injected in nude mice. Markers of differentiation have been used to identify these cancer cells. In the case of breast cancer, CD44+/CD24− select a population with stem cell properties. The fact that these cells have self-renewal ability has suggested that this population could be responsible for new tumour formation and cancer relapse. These cells have been shown to be more resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy than normal cancer cells. The identification of the molecular druggable alterations responsible for the initiation and maintenance of cancer stem cells is an important goal. In this article we will review all these points with special emphasis on the possible role of new drugs designed to interact with molecular pathways of cancer stem cells.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Stem Cell Laboratory, Regional Centre for Biomedical Research, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain

    José María García Bueno, Alberto Ocaña, Paola Castro-García, Carmen Gil Gas, Enrique Poblet, Rosario Serrano, Raúl Calero & Carmen Ramírez-Castillejo

  2. Unidad de Oncología, CHUA, Albacete, Spain

    José María García Bueno & Alberto Ocaña

  3. Unidad de Anatomía Patológica, CHUA, Albacete, Spain

    Enrique Poblet

  4. Área de Genética Facultad de Medicina/CRIB, Albacete, Spain

    Francisco Sánchez-Sánchez

  5. Laboratorio de Células Madre/CRIB, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla, Spain

    Paola Castro-García, Carmen Gil Gas & Carmen Ramírez-Castillejo

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  1. José María García Bueno
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  2. Alberto Ocaña
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  3. Paola Castro-García
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  4. Carmen Gil Gas
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  5. Francisco Sánchez-Sánchez
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  6. Enrique Poblet
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  7. Rosario Serrano
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  8. Raúl Calero
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  9. Carmen Ramírez-Castillejo
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Correspondence to Carmen Ramírez-Castillejo.

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Supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Pfizer.

These three authors have contributed equally to this work.

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García Bueno, J.M., Ocaña, A., Castro-García, P. et al. An update on the biology of cancer stem cells in breast cancer. Clin Transl Oncol 10, 786–793 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12094-008-0291-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12094-008-0291-9

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