Gene-expression profiles, tumor microenvironment, and cancer stem cells in breast cancer: Latest advances towards an integrated approach

Vera-Ramirez, Laura; Sanchez-Rovira, Pedro; Ramirez-Tortosa, Cesar L.; Quiles, Jose L.; Ramirez-Tortosa, M. Carmen; Alvarez, J. Carlos; Fernandez-Navarro, Monica; Lorente, Jose A.

doi:10.1016/j.ctrv.2010.02.017

« Previous Next »Cancer Treatment Reviews
Volume 36, Issue 6 , Pages 477-484, October 2010

Gene-expression profiles, tumor microenvironment, and cancer stem cells in breast cancer: Latest advances towards an integrated approach

Laura Vera-Ramirez
- Department of Oncology, Complejo Hospitalario de Jaén, Jaén, Spain
- Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology “José Mataix Verdú”, Biomedical Research Center (CIBM), Health Sciences Technological Park, Armilla, Granada, Spain
- Corresponding author. Address: Health Sciences Technologic Park, Biomedical Research Centre, Avenida del Conocimiento s/n, 18100, Armilla, Granada, Spain. Tel.: +34 958 241000x20316; fax: +34 958 819132.
Pedro Sanchez-Rovira
- Department of Oncology, Complejo Hospitalario de Jaén, Jaén, Spain
Cesar L. Ramirez-Tortosa
- Department of Pathology, Complejo Hospitalario de Jaén, Jaén, Spain
Jose L. Quiles
- Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology “José Mataix Verdú”, Biomedical Research Center (CIBM), Health Sciences Technological Park, Armilla, Granada, Spain
- Department of Physiology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
M. Carmen Ramirez-Tortosa
- Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology “José Mataix Verdú”, Biomedical Research Center (CIBM), Health Sciences Technological Park, Armilla, Granada, Spain
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
J. Carlos Alvarez
- Department of Legal Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
Monica Fernandez-Navarro
- Department of Oncology, Complejo Hospitalario de Jaén, Jaén, Spain
Jose A. Lorente
- Department of Legal Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
- GENyO Center, Pfizer-University of Granada and Andalusian Government Centre for Genomics and Oncology, Biomedical Research Center (CIBM), Health Sciences Technological Park, Armilla, Granada, Spain

Received 2 December 2009; received in revised form 12 February 2010; accepted 13 February 2010. published online 18 March 2010.

Summary

During the past decade, several high throughput analytical methods for gene-expression profiling have been developed. DNA microarrays and multiplex RT-PCR have been applied in the field of breast-cancer research to establish new molecular taxonomic classifications, or a selected group of genes able to predict the prognosis of the patients and/or their response to chemotherapy. This technology provides an opportunity to refine the anti-neoplastic treatment and avoid the currently observed under- and over-treatment of breast-cancer patients. In parallel, high throughput technologies for gene-expression analysis have been applied to research on cancer stem cells (CSCs) and the tumor microenvironment, offering a wider vision of the molecular processes that influence carcinogenic events, disease development, and the response to the treatment of breast-cancer patients. In this report, we briefly revisit the most relevant genomic studies on breast-cancer prognosis and prediction to introduce the latest advances in tumor dormancy, its implications in the clinical outcome of disease-free patients and its connection with CSCs biology and microenvironment influence in the metastatic process. Finally, we have discussed the contribution of the results of these studies to the design of new experimental strategies oriented towards personalized medicine.

Keywords: Cancer stem cells, Dormant cells, Extracellular matrix, Genetic signature, Microenvironment