Cancer Diagnosis Program | Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research Branch

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p53 overexpression in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue detected by immunohistochemistry.

Author(s): Kerns BJ, Jordan PA, Moore MB, Humphrey PA, Berchuck A, Kohler MF, Bast RC Jr, Iglehart JD, Marks JR

Publication: J Histochem Cytochem, 1992, Vol. 40, Page 1047-51

PubMed ID: 1607637 PubMed Review Paper? No

Purpose of Paper

Conclusion of Paper

Studies

1. Study Purpose

   The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of type of preservation on p53 IHC staining in ovarian and breast cancer specimens. Snap-frozen and FFPE specimens were prepared from the same tumor. Snap-frozen tissue was stored at -135 degrees C until analysis.

   Summary of Findings:

   p53 immunostaining patterns showed more heterogeneity in the FFPE tissue than in the snap-frozen tissue, thus the authors used different scoring methods for each type of preservation. Positive p53 staining was defined as a majority of malignant epithelial cells exhibiting nuclear staining for frozen sections or any obvious staining of malignant epithelial cells for paraffin sections. Overall p53 immunostaining agreement between frozen and FFPE ovarian tissue was 96% (48/50 cases). Similar results were obtained using primary breast carcinoma specimens with 92% (23/25 cases) showing identical p53 immunostaining between frozen and FFPE preparations. Of the 4 cancer cases with discordant p53 staining, one breast specimen and one ovarian specimen were p53 positive in the frozen and not the FFPE sections, while the other 2 breast and ovarian specimens were p53 positive in the FFPE sections and not the frozen ones. Multiple frozen and FFPE blocks of the four discordant ovarian and breast tumors gave consistently discordant results.

   Biospecimens

   • Tissue - Ovary
   • Tissue - Breast

   Preservative Types

   • Formalin
   • Frozen

   Diagnoses:

   • Neoplastic - Carcinoma

   Platform:

   Analyte	Technology Platform
   Protein	Immunohistochemistry

   Pre-analytical Factors:

   Classification	Pre-analytical Factor	Value(s)
   Biospecimen Acquisition	Biospecimen location	Ovary Breast
   Biospecimen Preservation	Type of fixation/preservation	Formalin (buffered) Snap frozen

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