Toward Improving Practices for Submission of Diagnostic Tissue Blocks for National Cancer Institute Clinical Trials.

Objectives: The National Cancer Institute (NCI) National Clinical Trials Network performs phase II and III clinical trials, which increasingly rely on the submission of diagnostic formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue blocks for biomarker assessment. Simultaneously, advances in precision oncology require that clinical centers maintain diagnostic specimens for ancillary, standard-of-care diagnostics. This has caused tissue blocks to become a limited resource for advancing the NCI clinical trial enterprise and the practice of modern molecular pathology.

Invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast with osteoclast-like giant cells and clear cell features: a case report of a novel finding and review of the literature.

Background: Osteoclast-like giant cells (OLGCs) are a rare histologic finding within a tumor of the breast. Although there has been discussion as to the pathogenesis and prognosis related to this finding, our understanding of its significance remains inconclusive. Clear cells are another unique histologic finding in breast tumors and are typically associated with tumors arising in other organs such as renal cell carcinoma.