Following in the footsteps of the success of the human genome project, which mapped DNA and the genes of all human cancers, is the challenge of stem cell research. The human genome project helped scientists decode the 20,000 genes of the human genome, looking at specific mutations of cells and how they form malignant cancer cells. Can you imagine how knowing the genetic makeup of an individual's cancer cells and their response to drugs would have an impact on the treatment and hope for breast cancer's cure? Researchers have already reported the gene profile of glioblastoma in brain cancer. Once these genomes are discovered, targeted new therapies can be developed.

Research studies on stem cells look at a cell's natural inclination to self-destruct. This self-destruction happens when it senses changes in the DNA structure in the cell and is part of the body's natural defense mechanism. Cell death is the way the body tries to rid itself of faulty cells so they won't grow back. The cancer stem cell theory purports that in tumor cells, there may be a small percentage of stem cells that are at the central core of cancer cells that are the most deadly. Many cancer therapies attack only tumor cells without destroying its stem cells. This will temporarily shrink a tumor, but it is the remaining stem cell that helps the tumor to regenerate. The goal in cancer stem cell research is to eradicate the cancer stem cells so that the tumor will not be able to continue growing.

The complexity and challenge of stem cell research is that these cells look different from patient to patient. To understand stem cells in breast cancer, you have to also look at the environment of normal healthy cells that surround it. How does one person have a body that is friendly to breast cancer cells and allows them to grow and another person's immune system kicks in to fight and destroy breast cancer cells? Researchers are trying to find an answer to that question. The goal is to stop breast cancer cells from traveling to other organs and sites. Knowing more about the microbiology of breast cancer stem cells will help researchers to target those mechanisms with new drugs before they take up residence in other parts of the body. Early detection along with advances in stem cell research and treatment gives a glimmer of new hope in the fight against breast cancer.