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. The study compared normal tissue, RB-positive, and RB-deficient TNBC. RNA sequencing was utilized to define differentially expressed genes.