Inflammatory signaling pathways in self-renewing breast cancer stem cells.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs), which make up only a small proportion of heterogeneous tumor cells, may possess greater ability to maintain tumorigenesis than do other tumor cell types. Breast cancer tissue is reported to contain cancer stem-like cells. In order to eradicate tumor cells, various approaches have been taken to identify the critical molecules and signaling pathways in breast CSCs. Recent findings suggest that inflammatory signaling pathways are important for the maintenance of breast CSCs. Here, we review the current understanding of the role of inflammatory pathways in these cells and discuss future perspectives of the research on and the possibility of targeting the molecules involved in these pathways for developing treatments for breast cancer.