5-azacytidine induces anoikis, inhibits mammosphere formation and reduces metalloproteinase 9 activity in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells.

Cancer stem cells are a subset of cancer cells that initiate the growth of tumors. Low levels of cancer stem cells also exist in established cancer cell lines, and can be enriched in serum-free tumorsphere cultures. Since cancer stem cells have been reported to be resilient to common chemotherapeutic drugs in comparison to regular cancer cells, screening for compounds selectively targeting cancer stem cells may provide an effective therapeutic strategy.