Open Access

REVIEW

Cancer stem cell specificity as new targets in breast tumor treatment

ZHIZHENG ZHANG^1,#, TAO LI^2,#, YUAN LI³, XI WANG⁴, HAO LIU⁵, XINYU SHEN⁵, ANN XU⁶, TIANSONG XIA^1,*, BO XU^7,*

1 Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, China
2 Department of Pathology, Jiangsu Provincial People’s Hospital, Nanjing, 210029, China
3 Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, No. 908th Hospital of Chinese PLA Joint Logistic Support Force, Nanchang, 330000, China
4 First Clinical Medical College, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China
5 Department of Outpatient, Eastern Theater General Hospital, Nanjing, 210016, China
6 Zhejiang ZhongNuoMei Biotech Limited Company, Hangzhou, 310000, China
7 School of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China

* Corresponding Authors: TIANSONG XIA. Email: ; BO XU. Email:
# These authors contributed equally to this work

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Novel Targets and Biomarkers in Solid Tumors)

Oncology Research 2025, 33(4), 811-819. https://doi.org/10.32604/or.2024.050505

Received 08 February 2024; Accepted 15 July 2024; Issue published 19 March 2025

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer is a prevalent malignant tumor affecting females, with treatment options including surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and endocrine therapy. Methods: This review synthesizes existing literature on breast cancer stem cells and their applications in breast cancer treatment. PubMed, Web of Science, and other relevant databases were systematically searched using keywords such as “breast cancer stem cells,” “immunotherapy,” “gene therapy,” and “cell therapy.” Studies published in English were included, and their findings were analyzed to provide insights into the characteristics and therapeutic potential of breast cancer stem cells. Results: Breast cancer stem cells exhibit unique properties that contribute to tumor initiation, progression, recurrence, and therapy resistance. Immunotherapy targeting breast cancer stem cells shows promise in overcoming these challenges, but issues such as lack of specificity and drug resistance need to be addressed. Conclusions: Breast cancer stem cells represent promising targets for innovative therapeutic strategies aimed at improving treatment outcomes in breast cancer patients.

---

Keywords

---