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Validation of tissue array technology in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Bei Chen1, Michiel W M van den Brekel, Wim Buschers
1Department of Head & Neck Surgery, Netherlands Cancer Institute/Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Head & Neck
|November 7, 2003
Summary
Tissue array technology enables efficient retrospective analysis of head and neck cancer tissues. This method is promising for validating prognostic markers in large patient cohorts.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Pathology
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Tissue array technology allows large-scale retrospective studies using archival formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues.
- This study assesses the utility of archival head and neck cancer tissue for tissue array analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility and reliability of using tissue array technology for head and neck cancer research.
- To assess the potential of tissue arrays for retrospective analysis of protein expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.
Main Methods:
- 184 head and neck cancer specimens were used to create tissue array blocks.
- Immunohistochemical (IHC) analyses were performed for cyclin-D1, Rb, and EGFR.
- Staining on tissue array disks was compared with full tissue sections.
Main Results:
- 74% of samples on tissue arrays were confirmed as tumor tissue.
- Cohen's kappa coefficients indicated reasonable agreement for cyclin-D1 (0.66), EGFR (0.40), and Rb (0.41).
- Most cases were successfully analyzed using 1-3 tissue cores.
Conclusions:
- Tissue array technology is a rapid and efficient tool for retrospective protein expression analysis.
- It shows promise for validating prognostic markers in large head and neck squamous cell carcinoma series.
- Reasonable agreement between tissue arrays and full sections suggests utility, with discordance potentially due to scoring variations.