Authors present contemporary knowledges, arguments and hypothesis about cancer STEM cells and their relations to current concepts of oncology and surgical oncology. The aim is to introduce new view of carcinogenesis and origin of metastatical process as a diseas of STEM cells to general surgical public that deal with surgical oncology and is confronted with new trends in modern oncological pharmacology. The presented theory of tumour origin by cancer STEM cells is confronted critically with all current theories.

        Key words: cancer STEM cell – embryonal STEM cell – adult STEM cell – cancerogenesis – metastatical process – surgical oncology