Scientists Find Cancer 'Cell of Origin'
Our new research may have discovered such a target. We have identified and isolated cells within different cancerous growths which we call the “cell of origin.” Our experiments on cancer cells derived from a human breast tumor found that stem cells—representing 0.2 percent of the cancer cell population—have special characteristics.
They generate vast amounts of energy and proliferate rapidly. We believe that they resemble the cancer cell of origin that has escaped senescence—the natural process of cell aging and “death” which concludes a healthy cell life cycle. These are thought to be the first cancer cells which start the process of uncontrolled cell multiplication and cause tumors to form.