Thus, the clear delineation between DEAR1 expression and recurrence, and the correlation of DEAR1 expression with the subtype of breast tumors with poor prognosis, suggest that DEAR1 is an important biomarker for stratifying early-onset disease; and these data in conjunction with its role as a dominant mediator of differentiation in 3D culture point to a critical role for DEAR1 in a genetic pathway that is important in early-onset breast cancer, the elucidation of which could have an important impact on early detection and targeted therapy for malignancies of the breast. Here, TRIM62 is linked to breast cancer.