Abstract: Hedgehog (HH) signaling pathway is a classic signaling pathway which controls embryonic development. Recent studies show that HH signaling pathway plays an important role in the tumorigenesis and development of cancer. Breast cancer stem cell (BCSC) is closely associated with malignant tumor metastasis, relapse and treatment resistance. HH pathway plays crucial roles in maintaining the characters of BCSC, and will probably become a novel therapeutic target of breast cancers.

Key words: Signal transduction, Breast neoplasms, Neoplastic stem cells, Hedgehog