Rakha Emad A, El-Sayed Maysa E, Reis-Filho Jorge, Ellis Ian O
Department of Histopathology, Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK.
Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2009 Feb;113(3):411-22. doi: 10.1007/s10549-008-9952-1. Epub 2008 Mar 9.
Breast cancer comprises a remarkably diverse group of diseases in terms of presentation, morphology, molecular profile and response to therapy. Recent gene expression profiling of breast cancer has identified specific molecular subtypes of clinical significance. Basal-like cancers (BLC) comprise a group of tumours that are characterised by an expression signature similar to that of the basal/myoepithelial cells of the breast and cluster together with BRCA1 associated tumours. Although BLC has fascinated oncologists and scientists alike due to its enigmatic clinical and pathological parameters, there is no consensus about the definition and method of identification in routine practice of this rather heterogeneous group of cancers. Furthermore, the prognostic significance of BLCs and response to specific chemotherapy regimens are still a matter debate. In this review, we discuss the molecular and morphological features, prognostic significance of BLC, and explore its impact on the concept of the breast cancer stem cell.
乳腺癌在临床表现、形态学、分子特征及对治疗的反应方面包含一组极为多样的疾病。近期对乳腺癌的基因表达谱分析已确定了具有临床意义的特定分子亚型。基底样癌（BLC）包括一组肿瘤，其特征是具有与乳腺基底/肌上皮细胞相似的表达特征，并与BRCA1相关肿瘤聚集在一起。尽管BLC因其神秘的临床和病理参数吸引了肿瘤学家和科学家的关注，但对于这一异质性癌症群体在常规实践中的定义和识别方法尚无共识。此外，BLC的预后意义以及对特定化疗方案的反应仍存在争议。在本综述中，我们讨论了BLC的分子和形态学特征、预后意义，并探讨了其对乳腺癌干细胞概念的影响。
