Major Impact of Sampling Methodology on Gene Expression in Estrogen Receptor–Positive Breast Cancer. Issue 2 (22nd May 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Gao, Qiong; López-Knowles, Elena; U Cheang, Maggie Chon; Morden, James; Ribas, Ricardo; Sidhu, Kally; Evans, David; Martins, Vera; Dodson, Andrew; Skene, Anthony; Holcombe, Chris; Mallon, Elizabeth; Evans, Abigail; Bliss, Judith M; Robertson, John; Smith, Ian; Martin, Lesley-Ann; Dowsett, Mitch
• Is Part Of: JNCI cancer spectrum. Volume 2:Issue 2(2018)
• Publication Date: 2018-05-22
• DOI: 10.1093/jncics/pky005
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2515-5091

Abstract

Abstract: To investigate the impact of sampling methodology on gene expression data from primary estrogen receptor–positive (ER+) breast cancer biopsies, global gene expression was measured in core-cut biopsies at baseline and surgery from patients randomly assigned to receive either two weeks of presurgical aromatase inhibitor (AI; n = 157) or no presurgical treatment (n = 56). Those genes most markedly altered in the AI group (eg, FOS, DUSP1, RGS1, FOSB ) were similarly altered in the no treatment group; some widely investigated genes that were apparently unaffected in the AI group (eg, MYC ) were counter-altered in the control group, masking actual AI-dependent changes. In the absence of a control group, these artefactual changes would likely lead to the most affected genes being the erroneous focus of research. The findings are likely relevant to all archival collections of ER+ breast cancer.