On a final note, the role of LN status in predicting outcomes is intriguing, and hints at the complexity of using biomarkers to predict patient outcomes. Among patients with LN-negative tumors, there was no significant difference in survival between patients with high vs. low two-protein combined panel score in TC. In contrast, in patients with LN-positive tumors, high two-protein combined panel scores in TC were significantly associated with worse survival. This suggests that the combined expression of ATM and MRE11 may be associated with LN involvement in relation to patient survival.