Although the disparate range of p53 mutations identified (data not shown) suggests a single agent is unlikely to be causative, patients in deprived communities do have a chronic inflammatory response that has been linked to breast cancer (Al Murri et al, 2004), colorectal cancer (McMillan et al, 2003) and increased coronary heart disease (Ridker et al, 2000; O’Reilly et al, 2006). Here, TP53 is linked to breast cancer.