stem cells as a tool for breast imaging干细胞作为乳腺成像工具.pdf

Hindawi Publishing Corporation Journal of Oncology Volume 2012, Article ID 814014, 7 pages doi:10.1155/2012/814014 Review Article Stem Cells as a Tool for Breast Imaging ´ ´ ´ Maria Elena Padın-Iruegas and Rafael Lopez Lopez Hospital Clınico Universitario c/Travesıa Choupana s/n. E-15706, Santiago de Compostela, Spain ´ ´ ´ Correspondence should be addressed to Maria Elena Padın-Iruegas, mariaelena.padin.iruegas@sergas.es Received 14 June 2012; Accepted 18 June 2012 Academic Editor: Alvaro Ruibal ´ ´ ´ Copyright © 2012 M. E. Padın-Iruegas and R. Lopez Lopez. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Stem cells are a scientific field of interest due to their therapeutic potential. There are different groups, depending on the differentiation state. We can find lonely stem cells, but generally they distribute in niches. Stem cells don’t survive forever. They are affected for senescence. Cancer stem cells are best defined functionally, as a subpopulation of tumor cells that can enrich for tumorigenic property and can regenerate heterogeneity of the original tumor. Circulating tumor cells are cells that have detached from a primary tumor and circulate in the bloodstream. They may constitute seeds for subsequent growth of additional tumors (metastasis) in different tissues. Advances in molecular imaging have allowed a deeper unde