Indeed IHC staining confirmed expression of SPTLC1 in a subpopulation of cells in all six TNBCs, and in addition we observed high levels of the sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor S1PR1, which functions in a reciprocal feedback loop to activate STAT3 in multiple cancer contexts40, upon IHC staining in all tumors (Supplementary Figs. 19, 20). This evidence concerns the gene SPTLC1 and cancer.