Células madre tumorales: una diana terapéutica en el cáncer de mama

In recent years, a small population of cells with stem cell properties, and named cancer stem cells (CSC), has been identified in a wide variety of tumours, including breast cancer. The increasing interest in CSCs resides in the ability of this cell population to originate, maintain and expand the tumour, thus being responsible for tumour initiation, metastasis and relapses. As these cells have shown to be more resistant to conventional cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy, it has been suggested that they may be responsible for relapses. The molecular characterization of these cells is one of the most active research areas in oncology, as targeting this cell population may become necessary for a complete elimination of the tumour and possibly a definitive cure of the disease.