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©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Stem Cells. Dec 26, 2025; 17(12): 112990
Published online Dec 26, 2025. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v17.i12.112990
Published online Dec 26, 2025. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v17.i12.112990
Breast cancer stem cells and circulating tumor cells: Dual drivers of progression and relapse
Zahra Azizi, Buket Er Urganci, Ibrahim Acikbas, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Pamukkale University, Denizli 20160, Turkey
Author contributions: Azizi Z performed the majority of the writing; Urganci BE and Acikbas I prepared and designed the outline and coordinated the writing of the paper.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Zahra Azizi, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Pamukkale University, Kinikli Road, Denizli 20160, Turkey. zazizi19@posta.pau.edu.tr
Received: August 12, 2025
Revised: September 27, 2025
Accepted: November 6, 2025
Published online: December 26, 2025
Processing time: 135 Days and 18 Hours
Revised: September 27, 2025
Accepted: November 6, 2025
Published online: December 26, 2025
Processing time: 135 Days and 18 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This review emphasizes the dual functions of breast cancer stem cells and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the advancement of tumors, resistance to treatment, and metastasis. We examine their common molecular characteristics, including self-renewal and epithelial-mesenchymal transition, as well as their interaction with the tumor microenvironment. The paper also covers the current technologies for detecting CTCs and their clinical applications. Gaining an understanding of the dynamic relationship between breast cancer stem cells and CTCs provides valuable insights into the early detection of metastasis and may inform the development of personalized treatment strategies for breast cancer patients.