Breast cancer stem cells found in bone marrow

Richard J. Cote, professor of pathology and urology at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, has completed a new study that demonstrates that virtually all of the tumor cells found in the bone marrow of early stage breast cancer victims appear to be breast cancer stem cells. "The primary implication is that it is the stem cell population in cancers that are presumed to be the only cells capable of forming metastases," said Cote. "Metastasis is the most important event for determining outcome in cancer patients."

- here's the press release on the study