Basal-like breast cancers: the phenotypic disparity between the cancer-initiating cells and tumor histology

Recent evidence suggests that a rare-cell population with a stem cell phenotype maintains breast tumors. Therefore, to devise breast cancer therapies that are more effective, we need to understand the unique biology of these cancer stem cells. Currently, very little is known about the origin of cancer stem cells and their relationship to the tumor phenotype. A recent study from Smalley's group demonstrates that targeting an inactivating Brca1 mutation to the luminal progenitors could yield basal-like breast cancers. This observation suggests that the inherent plasticity of the primitive cells can be hijacked by the tumorigenic processes to produce tumors with an unpredictable phenotype.