EpCAM+ve (tumour-cell marker; Went et al., 2004) cells within the TME had significant heterogeneity in TL (lower in TNBC-ST vis-a-vis LT), whereas the difference in TL of EpCAM-ve cells was insignificant indicating TL variation in TME was primarily from cancer cells (Figure 7E, Figure 7—figure supplement 1A). Here, EPCAM is linked to cancer.