2010/10/05

Estrogen affects the proportion of stem cells in the breast

Researchers from Maria Vivanco's laboratory at Cell Biology and Stem Cells Unit of CIC bioGUNE, in collaboration with clinicians from several hospitals in the Basque country and Cantabria, have recently reported that estrogen reduces the size of the human breast stem cell pool. The results, published in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, may provide an explanation for the better prognosis of estrogen receptor-positive tumours.