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Updated: Aug 28, 2025

Obtaining Cancer Stem Cell Spheres from Gynecological and Breast Cancer Tumors
Published on: March 1, 2020
CD133 is an independent predictive and prognostic marker in metastatic breast cancer
Ahmed Mubarak Hefni1, Ayat Mohammed Sayed1, Marwa T Hussien2
1Medical Oncology, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
Background:
CD133 is a transmembrane glycoprotein and is considered the most common cell surface marker to identify cancer stem cells in hematological and solid tumors, including breast cancer.
Objectives:
To evaluate the impact of immunohistochemical expression of CD133 on response rate and survival in metastatic breast cancer, as well as to correlate it with various demographics and clinicopathological characteristics.
Methods:
One-hundred metastatic breast cancer patients were prospectively recruited at the Medical Oncology Department at South Egypt Cancer Institute during the period from January 2018 to January 2020.
Results:
There was a statistically significant correlation between CD133 positive patients with various adverse clinicopathological parameters such as high grade (p= 0.013), higher tumor (p= 0.001), and nodal staging (p= 0.024) during a median follow-up time of 17 months. In addition, cases with CD133 positive expression had a significantly lower survival time than those with negative expression (3-years OS 37.4% versus 85.5%, p= 0.024). Regarding the response rate, CD133 positive patients had a lower response rate than negative patients (50% versus 54%, p= 0.012).
Conclusions:
Positive CD133 is correlated with poor prognosis in metastatic breast cancer patients.

