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J Clin Pathol 2009;62:694-698 doi:10.1136/jcp.2009.065201
  • Original article

An improved method for constructing tissue microarrays from prostate needle biopsy specimens

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  1. F McCarthy1,
  2. A Fletcher1,
  3. N Dennis1,
  4. C Cummings1,
  5. H O’Donnell2,
  6. J Clark1,
  7. P Flohr1,
  8. R Vergis2,
  9. S Jhavar2,
  10. C Parker2,
  11. C S Cooper1
  1. 1
    Institute of Cancer Research, Male Urological Cancer Research Centre, Sutton, Surrey, UK
  2. 2
    The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Sutton, Surrey, UK
  1. Professor C Cooper, Institute of Cancer Research, Male Urological Cancer Research Centre, 15 Cotswold Road, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5NG, UK; colin.cooper{at}icr.ac.uk
  • Accepted 26 March 2009

Abstract

Background: Prostate cancer diagnosis is routinely made by the histopathological examination of formalin fixed needle biopsy specimens. Frequently this is the only cancer tissue available from the patient for the analysis of diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. There is, therefore, an urgent need for methods that allow the high-throughput analysis of these biopsy samples using immunohistochemical (IHC) markers and fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) analysis based markers.

Methods: A method that allows the construction of tissue microarrays (TMAs) from diagnostic prostate needle biopsy cores has previously been reported. However, the technique only allows the production of low-density biopsy TMAs with a maximum of 20 cores per TMA. Here two methods are presented that allow the rapid and uniform production of biopsy TMAs containing between 54 and 72 biopsy cores. IHC and FISH techniques were used to detect biomarker status.

Results: Biopsy TMAs were constructed from prostate needle biopsy specimens taken from 102 patients entered into an active surveillance trial and 201 patients in a radiotherapy trial. The detection rate for cancer in slices of these biopsy TMAs was 66% and 79% respectively. Slices of a biopsy TMA prepared from biopsies from active surveillance patients were used to detect multiple IHC markers and to score TMPRSS2-ERG fusion status in a FISH-based assay.

Conclusions: The construction of biopsy TMAs provides an effective method for the multiplex analysis of IHC and FISH markers and for their assessment as prognostic biomarkers in the context of clinical trials.

Footnotes

  • Competing interests: None.

  • Funding: This work was funded by the National Cancer Research Institute, the Grand Charity of Freemasons and the Rosetrees Trust, and the Prostate Cancer Charity.

  • Ethics approval: Obtained.

  • ‣ Supplementary figs 1–3 are published online only at http://jcp.bmj.com/content/vol62/issue8

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