The epithelial mesenchymal transition(EMT)confers mesenchymal properties, migration and invasion on epithelial cells which normally is polarized and interacts with basement membrane via its basal surface. Cancer stem cell is a small subset of stem-like cells which have the capacity for self-renewal and asymmetric cell division. They play an important role in cancer initiation and progression. In rencent years, some researches reveal that EMT, which is closely related tumor metastasis, can generate tumour cells with propreties of stem cells. We review here recent observations correlated with the mechanism of it and its significance to clinical therapy.