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World J Stem Cells. Oct 26, 2026; 18(10): 124204
Published online Oct 26, 2026. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.124204
Published online Oct 26, 2026. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.124204
Mediator complex subunit 18: A novel breast cancer stem cell marker in tumor microenvironment
Ying-Zhu Zhang, Yue-Feng Zhang, Department of Hematology, First People’s Hospital of Linping District, Hangzhou 311100, Zhejiang Province, China
Ying-Zhu Zhang, Yi-Gang Wang, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, Zhejiang Province, China
Co-corresponding authors: Yue-Feng Zhang and Yi-Gang Wang.
Author contributions: Zhang YF and Wang YG designed the outline of the manuscript, they contributed equally to this manuscript and are co-corresponding authors; Zhang YZ, Zhang YF, and Wang YG contributed to the manuscript writing, editing and review of literature; and all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
AI contribution statement: Portions of this manuscript were edited using AI tools solely for language refinement. The authors carefully reviewed and verified all AI-assisted outputs and take full responsibility for the scientific content of the manuscript.
Supported by the Joint Fund of Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China Under Grant, No. LKLY25H160002.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Yue-Feng Zhang, MD, Department of Hematology, First People’s Hos
Received: June 10, 2026
Revised: July 20, 2026
Accepted: August 14, 2026
Published online: October 26, 2026
Processing time: 139 Days and 3.3 Hours
Revised: July 20, 2026
Accepted: August 14, 2026
Published online: October 26, 2026
Processing time: 139 Days and 3.3 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Breast cancer exhibits a tendency toward drug resistance and recurrence due to the presence of breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs). Therefore, the screening and validation of breast cancer biomarkers are crucial for diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Mediator complex subunit 18 (MED18) has emerged as a novel BCSC biomarker, positioned at the intersection of BCSC regulation and tumor microenvironment interactions. Although its identification demonstrates promising diagnostic and therapeutic potential, further mechanism validation through in vitro and in vivo studies is required to translate MED18 from a biomarker into a clinically actionable target.