Evaluation of CD44+/CD24- and Aldehyde Dehydrogenase Enzyme Markers in Cancer Stem Cells as Prognostic Indicators for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has been extensively studied not just for its aggressive behavior but also to understand its complex molecular nature. This type of heterogeneous tumor shows no expression of estrogen receptor (ER) or progesterone receptor (PR) and does not express the HER2 gene, and often these tumors are high grade with distinct histological groups. The basal-like subtype is most commonly related to the TNBC type of neoplasms; it can be further classified according to Lehmann and Burstein expert’s criteria. TNBC is related to breast stem cell markers such as CD44+/CD24- and high levels of enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), which have been shown to possess stem cell features that are involved in differentiation, vascular invasion, tumorigenesis, and metastatic potential. CD44+/CD24- and high levels of ALDH have significance as markers as well as indicators of poor prognosis in TNBC. The databases used in this review are PMC, PubMed, and Google Scholar.