Impact of Fixation Time on Breast Cancer Biomarkers
Author Information
Author(s): Isabel F. Pinhel, Fiona A. MacNeill, Margaret J. Hills, Janine Salter, Simone Detre, Roger A'Hern, Ashutosh Nerurkar, Peter Osin, Ian E. Smith, Mitch Dowsett
Primary Institution: Institute of Cancer Research
Hypothesis
Does the time between surgical resection and tissue fixation affect the immunoreactivity of biomarkers in breast cancer?
Conclusion
Extreme loss of phospho-staining can occur during routine fixation of resection specimens, but the delay in fixation for core-cuts has no significant impact on other biomarkers.
Supporting Evidence
- No significant differences were found between core-cuts and resection samples for most biomarkers.
- p-Akt and p-Erk1/2 levels were significantly lower in resection specimens compared to core-cuts.
- The study involved 21 tissue sets with adequate tumor for analysis.
Takeaway
If you wait too long to fix breast cancer tissue samples, some important markers can disappear, which might lead to wrong conclusions about treatment effectiveness.
Methodology
The study compared immunohistochemical expression of biomarkers in core-cuts taken immediately after resection and after routine X-ray of the excised tumor with those from routinely fixed resection specimens.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to differences in tissue handling and fixation times.
Limitations
The study had a small sample size and may not generalize to all breast cancer cases.
Participant Demographics
Median age of participants was 54 years, with a median tumor size of 29 mm; 16 had lumpectomy and 13 had mastectomy.
Statistical Information
P-Value
<0.0001
Statistical Significance
p<0.0001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website