The cancer stem cell: the breast cancer driver

International audienceRecent research in a large variety of tumors, including breast cancer, has given support to the ``cancer stem cell hypothesis''. Based on this, tumors contain and are driven by a cellular subcomponent that retains key stem cell properties. These include self-renewal, which drives tumorigenesis, and the capacity to generate cellular heterogeneity. Recently, different techniques have been used to isolate potential breast cancer stem cells with the cell surface phenotype CD44(+)CD24(-/low) lin(-) or expressing Aldehyde dehydrogenase. This model has fundamental implications for breast cancer treatment. The development of specific therapeutics that target this population is an important focus for the future