As per the latest Globocan statistics, the high prevalence rate of breast cancer in low- and middle-income countries has led to it becoming the most common cancer to be diagnosed, hence posing a major public health challenge. As per this data, more than 11.7% of the estimated new cancer cases in 2020 were due to breast cancer. A small but significant subpopulation of cells with self- renewing ability are present in the tumor stroma and have been given the nomenclature of cancer stem cells (CSCs). These cells display a high degree of plasticity owing to their ability to transition from the slowly cycling quiescent phase to the actively proliferating phenotype. This attribute of CSCs allows them to differentiate into various cell types having diverse functions. Breast CSCs have a pivotal role in development, metastasis, treatment resistance and relapse of breast cancers. This review focuses on the pathways regulating breast CSC maintenance and the current strategies that are being explored for directing the development of novel, targeted, therapeutic approaches for limiting and eradicating this aberrant stem cell population.

中文翻译：

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干细胞疗法：乳腺癌治疗的范式转变。

根据最新的Globocan统计，低收入和中等收入国家乳腺癌的高患病率使其成为最常见的被诊断癌症，从而构成了重大的公共卫生挑战。根据该数据，2020 年估计的新癌症病例中超过 11.7% 是由乳腺癌引起的。具有自我更新能力的小而重要的细胞亚群存在于肿瘤基质中，并被赋予癌症干细胞 (CSC) 的命名法。这些细胞显示出高度的可塑性，因为它们能够从缓慢循环的静止阶段过渡到活跃的增殖表型。CSC 的这一属性使它们能够分化为具有不同功能的各种细胞类型。乳腺 CSCs 在发育、转移、治疗抵抗和乳腺癌的复发。本综述重点关注调节乳腺 CSC 维持的途径，以及目前正在探索的用于指导开发新的、有针对性的治疗方法以限制和根除这种异常干细胞群的策略。