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Figure 1. The Heterogeneity of Breast Cancer. Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease with a highly dynamic tumor micro-environment (TME). Within the primary site, one can observe the presence of epithelial cells that have undergone E-M/CSC plasticity, malignant epithelial cells, pre-malignant cells, senescent epithelial cells, stromal fibroblasts, infiltrating immune cells, and endothelial cells. The presence of all of these diverse cell types results in a distinct and complex milieu of secreted factors within the TME that influence, tumor progression, disease recurrence, and cell plasticity