Targeting the vulnerability of RB tumor suppressor loss in triple negative breast cancer

Approximately 30% of TNBCs exhibit loss of function of the RB tumor suppressor. The study used RNA sequencing to profile RB-proficient and RB-deficient TNBC cases that were defined based on immunostaining for RB and p16ink4a. The analyses revealed that RB-deficient TNBC cases express elevated levels of DNA replication and mitotic genes that could serve as the basis for increased sensitivity to drugs targeting cell cycle checkpoints. Overall design: The study compared normal tissue, RB-positive, and RB-deficient TNBC. RNA sequencing was utilized to define differentially expressed genes.