The fact that the presence of one alteration (either on the DNA or on the protein level) is associated with a significant worsening of the patient’s prognosis, and that the prognostic impact of isolated protein or DNA alterations is virtually identical but less severe compared to when both types of alterations co-occur, may fit with the proposed dose-dependency of PTEN’s tumor suppressor function [37]. The gene discussed is PTEN; the disease is neoplasm.