Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Role of Pathologist in Precision Cancer Diagnosis

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Precision Cancer Medicine

  • 408 Accesses

Abstract

Immunohistochemistry (IHC) currently represents the most widely used approach for cancer biomarker analysis in routine pathology practice. It is applied as a descriptive, qualitative, tissue-based, in situ protein immunoassay, for which the readout of the results is principally performed by pathologists using a light microscope or whole slide digital image system.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 89.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Allison KH, Hammond MEH, Dowsett M, McKernin SE, Carey LA, Fitzgibbons PL, Hayes DF, Lakhani SR, Chavez-MacGregor M, Perlmutter J, Perou CM, Regan MM, Rimm DL, Symmans WF, Torlakovic EE, Varella L, Viale G, Weisberg TF, McShane LM, Wolff AC. Estrogen and progesterone receptor testing in breast Cancer: ASCO/CAP guideline update. J Clin Oncol. 2020;38(12):1346–66. https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.19.02309.

  • Badve S, Kumar G (eds.). Predictive Biomarkers in Oncology. Applications in Precision Medicine. Springer International Publishing 2019.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brahmer JR, Govindan R, Anders RA, et al. The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer consensus statement on immunotherapy for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). J Immunother Cancer. 2018;6:75. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40425-018-0382-2.

    Google Scholar 

  • College of American Pathologists. PD-L1 testing of patients with lung cancer for immunooncology therapies. CAP; 2021.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dzau VJ, Ginsburg GS, Chopra A, Goldman D, Green ED, Leonard DGB, McClellan M, Plump A, Terry SF, Yamamoto KR. Realizing the full potential of precision medicine in health and health care: a vital direction for health and health care. NAM perspectives. Discussion paper. Washington, DC: National Academy of Medicine; 2016. https://doi.org/10.31478/201609k.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • El-Deiry WS, et al. The current state of molecular testing in the treatment of patients with solid tumors, 2019. CA Cancer J Clin. 2019;69(4):305–43. https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21560.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Elmore JG, Longton GM, Carney PA, et al. Diagnostic concordance among pathologists interpreting breast biopsy specimens. JAMA. 2015;313(11):1122–32. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2015.1405.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • García-Alfonso P, García-Carbonero R, García-Foncillas J, et al. Update of the recommendations for the determination of biomarkers in colorectal carcinoma: National Consensus of the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology and the Spanish Society of Pathology. Clin Transl Oncol. 2020;22:1976–91. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12094-020-02357-z.

  • Garrido P, Conde E, de Castro J, Gómez-Román JJ, Felip E, Pijuan L, Isla D, Sanz J, Paz-Ares L, López-Ríos F. Updated guidelines for predictive biomarker testing in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: a National Consensus of the Spanish Society of Pathology and the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology. Clin Transl Oncol. 2020;22:989–1003.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garrison LP Jr, Babigumira JB, Masaquel A, Wang BC, Lalla D, Brammer M. The lifetime economic burden of inaccurate HER2 testing: estimating the costs of false-positive and false-negative HER2 test results in US patients with early-stage breast Cancer. Value Health. 2015;18(4):541–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jval.2015.01.012.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Heinmoller P, Baenfer G, Grzelinksi M, Alexander K, Jasani B. Quality control of immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization predictive for treatment: Experience from international guidelines and international quality control schemes. In: Sunil Badve, George Louis Kumar (Eds.), Predictive Biomarkers in Oncology, 525–37 - December 2018. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95228-4_48.

  • Humphries MP, Bingham V, Abdullahi Sidi F, et al. Improving the diagnostic accuracy of the PD-L1 test with image analysis and multiplex hybridization. Cancers (Basel). 2020;12(5):1114. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers12051114.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lhermitte B, et al. Adequately defining tumor cell proportion in tissue samples for molecular testing improves interobserver reproducibility of its assessment. Virchows Arch. 2017;470(1):21–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matias-Guiu X, Stanta G, Carneiro F, et al. The leading role of pathology in assessing the somatic molecular alterations of cancer: position paper of the European Society of Pathology. Virchows Archiv Int J Pathol. 2020;476(4):491–7. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-020-02757-0.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McKean WB, Moser JC, Rimm D, Hu-Lieskovan S. Biomarkers in precision cancer immunotherapy: promise and challenges. Am Soc Clin Oncol Educ Book. 2020;40:e275–91. https://doi.org/10.1200/EDBK_280571.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Miller RE, Leary A, Scott CL, Serra V, Lord CJ, Bowtell D, Chang DK, Garsed DW, Jonkers J, Ledermann JA, Nik-Zainal S. ESMO recommendations on predictive biomarker testing for homologous recombination deficiency and PARP inhibitor benefit in ovarian cancer. Ann Oncol. 2020;31(12):1606–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nass SJ, Cohen MB, Nayar R, Zutter MM, Balogh EP, Schilsky RL, Hricak H, Elenitoba-Johnson KSJ. Improving cancer diagnosis and care: patient access to high-quality oncologic pathology. Oncologist. 2019;24(10):1287–90. https://doi.org/10.1634/theoncologist.2019-0261.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Park JJH, Siden E, Zoratti MJ, Dron L, Harari O, Singer J. Lester RT. Thorlund K, Mills EJ. Systematic review of basket trials, umbrella trials, and platform trials: A landscape analysis of master protocols. Trials 2019, 20, 572.

    Google Scholar 

  • Plebani M. The detection and prevention of errors in laboratory medicine. Ann Clin Biochem. 2010;47(Pt 2):101–10. https://doi.org/10.1258/acb.2009.009222.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wasielewski RV, Hasselmann S, Rüschoff J, Fisseler-Eckhoff A, Kreipe H. Proficiency testing of immunohistochemical biomarker assays in breast cancer. Virchows Arch. 2008;453(6):537–43. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-008-0688-4.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang H, Moisini I, Ajabnoor RM, Turner BM, Hicks DG. Applying the new guidelines of HER2 testing in breast cancer. Curr Oncol Rep. 2020;22(5):51. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11912-020-0901-4.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Discovery Life sciences Global Biomarker Services, Kassel, Hessen, Germany

    Bharat Jasani

  2. Institute of Pathology and Molecular Diagnostics & Institute for Digital Medicine, University Hospital Augsburg, Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany

    Ralf Huss

  3. Department of Pathology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Clive R. Taylor

Authors
  1. Bharat Jasani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ralf Huss
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Clive R. Taylor
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Jasani, B., Huss, R., Taylor, C.R. (2021). Role of Pathologist in Precision Cancer Diagnosis. In: Precision Cancer Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84087-7_16

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84087-7_16

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-84086-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-84087-7

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation