We found that the protein expression of MICA/B was significantly higher in BC cells at early stages (Tumor Node Metastasis (TNM) stages I and II) than in BC cells at advanced stages (TNM stage III) (Figures 1a and b). In addition, this inverse correlation was confirmed between MICA/B mRNA expression and the TNM stages by quantitative PCR analysis (Figure 1c). However, no correction was found between MICA/B expression and the WHO grade of BC (Supplementary Figure 1b). For ULBP1/2/3, no specific expression patterns were found for different TNM stages or WHO grades of BC (data not shown).