In contrast, here we show that lower pAKT levels before or after treatment of patient-derived PDX models of breast cancer with a PI3K/AKT inhibitor, correlates with lower TRF1 levels and shorter telomeres, although telomere length changes are more moderate compared to changes in TRF1 levels upon inhibition of the PI3K/AKT pathway. Here, TERF1 is linked to breast carcinoma.