By comparing the genome-wide 5hmC and 5mC distribution in basal-like breast cancers (BLBCs), Collignon et al. found that 5hmC gain in TET1-high breast cancers compared with TET1-low breast cancer was mostly associated with 5mC loss [17], suggesting that TET1 participates in the maintenance of DNA hypomethylation in these regions. Here, TET1 is linked to breast carcinoma.