In conclusion, we have shown that 1) random single- and multiple-genes expression markers have a high probability to be associated with breast cancer outcome; 2) most published signatures are not significantly more associated with outcome than random predictors; 3) the meta-PCNA metagene integrates most of the outcome-related information contained in the breast cancer transcriptome; 4) this information is present in over 50% of the transcriptome and cannot be removed by purging known cell-cycle genes from a signature. This evidence concerns the gene PCNA and breast carcinoma.