The similarities between monocytes derived from breast cancer patients and patients with severe sepsis (endotoxin tolerance reprogrammed monocytes; CD14+HLA-DRlow/-), with regards to surface phenotype, functionality and gene expression profile, strongly suggests that monocytes in breast cancer patients are also being reprogrammed by similar mechanisms to those observed in sepsis patients, although with different TLR-ligands (e.g. DAMPs). The gene discussed is CD14; the disease is Sepsis.