A method comprising: assaying a sample of breast cancer cells from a breast cancer afflicted subject for the expression level of Bub1B, CENPA, NEK2, RACGAP1, and RRM2 and summing the expression levels as a single index to determine an index score for the subject; assaying the ratio of HoxB13 expression to IL17BR expression (H:I ratio) for the subject in the sample; comparing the index score from the subject with an index score cutoff; comparing the H:I ratio from the subject with an H:I ratio cutoff; wherein the index score cutoff and H:I ratio cutoff are determined as the natural cutoff points in a bimodal distribution of index scores or H:I ratios in a dataset, wherein the dataset comprises index scores or H:I ratios from patients that (i) had cancer recurrence, and (ii) did not have cancer recurrence; classifying the index score or H:I ratio from the subject as "high risk" if the index score or H:I ratio corresponds to a value above the index score cutoff or H:I ratio cutoff or classifying the index score or H:I ratio from the patient as "low risk" if the index score or H:I score corresponds to a value equal to or below the index score cutoff value or the H:I ratio cutoff value, and determining that the subject has an increased risk of cancer recurrence if the index score and the H:I ratio from the subject are classified as high risk, or predicting that the subject has a reduced risk of cancer recurrence if the index score and the H:I ratio from the subject are classified as low risk or if the index score from the subject is classified as low risk and the H:I ratio from the subject is classified as high risk, or predicting that the subject has an intermediate likelihood of cancer recurrence if the index score from the subject is classified as high risk and the H:I ratio from the subject is classified as low risk. assaying a sample of breast cancer cells from a breast cancer afflicted subject for the expression level of Bub1B, CENPA, NEK2, RACGAP1, and RRM2 and summing the expression levels as a single index to determine an index score for the subject; assaying the ratio of HoxB13 expression to IL17BR expression (H:I ratio) for the subject in the sample; comparing the index score from the subject with an index score cutoff; comparing the H:I ratio from the subject with an H:I ratio cutoff; wherein the index score cutoff and H:I ratio cutoff are determined as the natural cutoff points in a bimodal distribution of index scores or H:I ratios in a dataset, wherein the dataset comprises index scores or H:I ratios from patients that (i) had cancer recurrence, and (ii) did not have cancer recurrence; classifying the index score or H:I ratio from the subject as "high risk" if the index score or H:I ratio corresponds to a value above the index score cutoff or H:I ratio cutoff or classifying the index score or H:I ratio from the patient as "low risk" if the index score or H:I score corresponds to a value equal to or below the index score cutoff value or the H:I ratio cutoff value, and determining that the subject has an increased risk of cancer recurrence if the index score and the H:I ratio from the subject are classified as high risk, or predicting that the subject has a reduced risk of cancer recurrence if the index score and the H:I ratio from the subject are classified as low risk or if the index score from the subject is classified as low risk and the H:I ratio from the subject is classified as high risk, or predicting that the subject has an intermediate likelihood of cancer recurrence if the index score from the subject is classified as high risk and the H:I ratio from the subject is classified as low risk.