Gene Expression in Core Needle Biopsy Diagnoses Breast Cancer

The gene-expression profile detected in a core needle biopsy of a breast tumor is representative of gene expression in the whole tumor and therefore a reliable diagnostic for breast cancer, according to a new study.

The study, published in the August 2006 edition of the journal Breast Cancer Research, confirms the reliability of core needle biopsy as a tool in breast-cancer diagnosis and prognosis. The study also shows that the gene expression profile of a core needle biopsy might be more accurate than the profile of a surgical sample taken from the same tumor after the biopsy was carried out. According to the study results, the biopsy procedure triggers the expression of genes involved in wound healing as well as tumor invasion and metastasis, thus modifying the gene expression profile of subsequent surgical samples.

Dr. Rosanna Zanetti-Dällenbach, from the Women's University Hospital (Basel, Switzerland), and colleagues analyzed the gene expression profile of core needle biopsies taken from 22 women diagnosed with breast cancer. For each woman, they compared the biopsy expression profile with the expression profile of a surgical sample taken from the tumor subsequent to the core needle biopsy. They quantified the expression of 60 genes known to be involved in breast tumor development using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Dr. Zanetti-Dällenbach and colleagues also analyzed the gene expression profiles of surgical samples taken from breast tumors of 317 patients who did not undergo a core needle biopsy.

The results of the study showed that the gene expression levels of the core biopsy and the surgical sample are identical for most women. However, the expression of four specific genes was significantly increased in the surgical samples compared to the core needle biopsies. In the group of women who did not get a core needle biopsy, however, the expression of these four genes was not increased. These four genes are involved in inflammation and wound repair as well as tumor invasion and metastasis. The authors conclude that their expression must therefore be modified by the core needle biopsy procedure itself and they warn that care should be taken when interpreting the gene expression profile of a surgical sample carried out following a core biopsy.



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