The recapitulation of primary tumour heterogenity and the existence of a minor sub-population of cancer cells, capable of initiating tumour growth in xenografts on serial passages, led to the hypothesis that cancer stem cells (CSCs) exist. CSCs are present in many tumours, among which is breast cancer. Breast CSCs (BCSCs) are likely to sustain the growth of the primary tumour mass, as well as to be responsible for disease relapse and metastatic spreading. Consequently, BCSCs represent the most significant target for new drugs in breast cancer therapy. Both the hypoxic condition in BCSCs biology and pro-inflammatory cytokine network has gained increasing importance in the recent past. Breast stromal cells are crucial components of the tumours milieu and are a major source of inflammatory mediators. Recently, the anti-inflammatory role of some nuclear receptors ligands has emerged in several diseases, including breast cancer. Therefore, the use of nuclear receptors ligands may be a valid strategy to inhibit BCSCs viability and consequently breast cancer growth and disease relapse.

中文翻译：

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核受体在乳腺癌干细胞中的作用。

原发性肿瘤异质性的重现以及少量癌细胞亚群的存在，能够在连续传代的异种移植物中启动肿瘤生长，导致了癌症干细胞（CSC）存在的假设。CSC 存在于许多肿瘤中，其中包括乳腺癌。乳腺 CSC (BCSC) 可能维持原发肿瘤块的生长，并导致疾病复发和转移扩散。因此，BCSC 代表了乳腺癌治疗新药最重要的靶点。近年来，BCSC 生物学和促炎细胞因子网络中的缺氧状况变得越来越重要。乳腺基质细胞是肿瘤环境的重要组成部分，也是炎症介质的主要来源。最近，一些核受体配体的抗炎作用已在包括乳腺癌在内的多种疾病中显现出来。因此，使用核受体配体可能是抑制 BCSC 活力并进而抑制乳腺癌生长和疾病复发的有效策略。