Importantly, ESA+/CD44+/CD24−/lo cells isolated from patient xenografts in mice could give rise to the complete cellular heterogeneity observed in the primary tumor in serially passaged xenografts, hence lineage-/ESA+/CD44+/CD24−/lo tumorigenic cells were self-renewing and multipotent cancer stem cells [40]. The gene discussed is CD44; the disease is neoplasm.