Long-term 3D culture of DCIS.com cells at increasing stiffnesses, coupled with RASSF1A promoter methylation analysis at each passage, could shed light on this presumption, as could the introduction of a BRCA 1 versus 2 gene mutation via CRISPR-Cas9 technology into DCIS.com cells cultured within this 3D stiffness setting. The gene discussed is RASSF1; the disease is ductal breast carcinoma in situ.