Breast cancer is one of the most frequently detected malignancies worldwide. It is responsible for more than 15% of all death cases caused by cancer in women. Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease representing various histological types, molecular characteristics, and clinical profiles. However, all breast cancers are organized in a hierarchy of heterogeneous cell populations, with a small proportion of cancer stem cells (breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs)) playing a putative role in cancer progression, and they are responsible for therapeutic failure. In different molecular subtypes of breast cancer, they present different characteristics, with specific marker profiles, prognoses, and treatments. Recent efforts have focused on tackling the Wnt, Notch, Hedgehog, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, and HER2 signaling pathways. Developing diagnostics and therapeutic strategies enables more efficient elimination of the tumor mass together with the stem cell population. Thus, the knowledge about appropriate therapeutic methods targeting both “normal” breast cancer cells and breast cancer stem cell subpopulations is crucial for success in cancer elimination.
乳腺癌是全球范围内最常见的恶性肿瘤之一，占女性癌症致死病例的15%以上。作为一种异质性疾病，乳腺癌在组织学类型、分子特征及临床表现方面均呈现多样性。所有乳腺癌均呈现异质性细胞群体的层级结构，其中少量癌症干细胞（乳腺癌干细胞）在肿瘤进展中发挥关键作用，并导致治疗失败。在不同分子亚型的乳腺癌中，这些干细胞具有特异性标志物表达谱、预后特征及治疗反应。当前研究重点聚焦于Wnt、Notch、Hedgehog、PI3K/Akt/mTOR和HER2信号通路的调控机制。通过开发新型诊断与治疗策略，有望实现对肿瘤主体及干细胞群体的协同清除。因此，掌握同时靶向“普通”乳腺癌细胞与乳腺癌干细胞亚群的治疗方法，对实现肿瘤根治具有决定性意义。
Breast Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Heterogeneity: Characteristics and Therapeutic Strategies
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家