This suggests the intriguing possibility of a causal link between the molecular basis of breast cancer exemplified by p53 mutations and extreme deprivation, and that the biological features of breast cancer may contribute substantially to the perceived deprivation gap in survival compared with stage of presentation, co-morbidities or treatment differences (Kelsey et al, 1981; Schrijvers et al, 1997; Twelves et al, 2001; Taylor and Cheng, 2003; Thomson et al, 2004; Mullee et al, 2004). This evidence concerns the gene TP53 and breast cancer.