Publications by authors named "G Robert Bigras"

New therapies are being developed for breast cancer, and in this process, some "old" biomarkers are reutilized and given a new purpose. It is not always recognized that by changing a biomarker's intended use, a new biomarker assay is created. The Ki-67 biomarker is typically assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) to provide a proliferative index in breast cancer.

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Photon absorption remote sensing (PARS) is a new laser-based microscope technique that permits cellular-level resolution of unstained fresh, frozen, and fixed tissues. Our objective was to determine whether PARS could provide an image quality sufficient for the diagnostic assessment of breast cancer needle core biopsies (NCB). We PARS imaged and virtually H&E stained seven independent unstained formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded breast NCB sections.

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Tumor-agnostic testing for NTRK1-3 gene rearrangements is required to identify patients who may benefit from TRK inhibitor therapies. The overarching objective of this study was to establish a high-quality pan-TRK immunohistochemistry (IHC) screening assay among 18 large regional pathology laboratories across Canada using pan-TRK monoclonal antibody clone EPR17341 in a ring study design. TRK-fusion positive and negative tumor samples were collected from participating sites, with fusion status confirmed by panel next-generation sequencing assays.

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Article Synopsis
  • Ki67 is a key biomarker in breast cancer but struggles with consistent measurement between labs, prompting research into automated digital image analysis (DIA).
  • The study assessed Ki67 levels using specially prepared slides from 30 breast cancer patients, with analysis conducted by 17 labs to evaluate consistency in scoring.
  • Results showed a strong correlation between consecutive sections, but core biopsy samples had notably higher Ki67 scores than whole sections, indicating that core biopsies may provide a more accurate biological status of the tumor.
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