New Imaging Biomarkers Redefines Breast Cancer Classification With Detailed Accuracy
Source: Thailand Medical News Jan 22, 2020 6 years, 1 month, 4 days, 19 hours, 1 minute ago
Most often
breast cancer progression can vary significantly between patients. Even within the same tumor, different areas may be composed of different types of cells and characterized by different tumor structures. This heterogeneity makes it challenging to ascertain the severity of a tumor and assess its molecular subtype, thereby affecting the precision of diagnosis and the choice of the most effective treatment approach. More detailed characterization of a
breast cancer tissue could help improve a treatment’s chances of success and may decrease the risk of relapse.
35 protein biomarkers create an unprecedented view of a tumor’s
cellular landscape and the surrounding tissue. Credit: Bernd Bodenmiller
New high-dimension imaging biomarkers helps diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer
The oncology research group headed by Dr Bernd Bodenmiller, Professor of Quantitative Biology at University Of Zurich, has been able to refine the pathological classification of
breast cancer using
imaging mass cytometry. This method enables scientists to simultaneously visualize and analyze multiple biomarkers to generate information-rich digital images of tissue sections. In their study, the researchers quantified 35 protein
biomarkers in
breast cancer patients.
Dr Jana Fischer, co-first author of the study explained to
Thailand Medical News, “This created an unprecedented view of a tumor’s cellular landscape and the surrounding tissue, which enabled us to determine whether more complex
biomarkers exist for clinical outcome.”
The Swiss team of researchers analyzed hundreds of tissue sections from 350
breast cancer patients and categorized the many cell components and how they are organized in cellular communities and form tumor tissues.
Co-first author Dr Hartland Jackson further explained, “Four categories of
breast cancer are routinely classified in the clinic, but our new analysis allows us to go further and identify multiple detailed subcategories of
breast cancer. The danger from these diverse tumors can be very different, and each type could respond to therapy in its own way.”
Paving The Way For Precision Medicine For Breast Cancer Patients
This new research finding has the potential to change clinical practice. The new subgroups of
breast cancer patients vary in their molecular profiles. Dr Bernd Bodenmiller and his research team are now working on finding out which drugs are best able to combat tumor cells with a specific molecular profile.
Dr Bodenmiller added, “By improving our ability to describe cellular features and categories as well as our ability to precisely identify patients that have high or low risk
breast cancer,
strong> we’re opening up new possibilities for precision medicine.”
Reference: Jackson, H. W., Fischer, J. R., Zanotelli, V. R. T., Ali, H. R., Mechera, R., Soysal, S. D., … Bodenmiller, B. (2020). The single-cell pathology landscape of breast cancer. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1876-x 
