BECN1 and breast cancer: BECLIN 1 (BECN1) is frequently monoallelically deleted in human breast and ovarian cancers [5, 6]; Becn1 heterozygous-deficient mice have an increased frequency of spontaneous malignancies including lymphomas, liver, lung and breast tumors [7-9]; and decreased BECN1 expression is associated with poor outcomes in human breast cancer [10].