Tissue Microarray Based Investigation of Stat3 Signaling Pathway in Breast Cancer

摘要

The objective of this proposal is to identify fingerprints or 'keystone' markers based on clinical outcome using tissue microarrays (TMAs) and automated analysis (AQUA). This is a novel method that will allow the identification of 'prognosis fingerprints' important in disease-specific breast cancer survival. While the original proposal focused on construction of only lymph node-negative tissue microarrays, node-positive specimens have been included to help find markers that can separate patients based on their nodal status and to assist in the discovery of biomarkers important in a 'prognosis' signature for breast cancer regardless of nodal status. As of this progress report, we have completed the construction of the tissue microarrays, the collection of the clinical data for the cohort, and the assessment of the tissue microarrays with standard clinical biomarker antibodies (ER, PR, Her2 and Ki-67) . We are currently in the process of analyzing over 40 biomarkers on the tissue microarrays by AQUA for their prognostic value individually, and multiplexed with other biomarkers and clinicopathological data, in order to determine which biomarkers are key in subclassifying the breast cancer tumor cohort.