Lin Chieh-Yu, Barry-Holson Keegan Q, Allison Kimberly H
Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
Histopathology. 2016 Jan;68(1):119-37. doi: 10.1111/his.12868.
Since the discovery of breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) more than 10 years ago, a body of exciting research has developed. The intrinsic properties of BCSCs, including self-renewal and the ability to give rise to heterogeneous progeny, make BCSCs a likely source of tumour initiation, heterogeneity, progression and metastasis. BCSCs are also inherently resistant to conventional therapies and are therefore thought to contribute to disease recurrence. In this review, we will focus on both the challenges and recent advances in the characterization of BCSCs with respect to phenotype, molecular signature and their role in the behaviour of the different molecular subtypes of breast cancer. Of most importance is our ability to translate our growing knowledge base into the development of targeted therapies with the goal of reducing adverse outcomes in breast cancer patients.
自10多年前发现乳腺癌干细胞（BCSCs）以来，一系列令人兴奋的研究不断涌现。BCSCs的内在特性，包括自我更新能力以及产生异质后代的能力，使BCSCs成为肿瘤起始、异质性、进展和转移的可能来源。BCSCs对传统疗法也具有内在抗性，因此被认为与疾病复发有关。在本综述中，我们将聚焦于BCSCs在表型、分子特征及其在乳腺癌不同分子亚型行为中的作用等方面的表征所面临的挑战和最新进展。最为重要的是，我们有能力将不断增长的知识基础转化为靶向治疗的开发，目标是减少乳腺癌患者的不良预后。
