Diagnostic ability of real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction versus immunohistochemistry for Ki-67 assessment in breast cancer: An Indian perspective.

This study was aimed at defining the analytical and clinical validity of real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) as an alternative to IHC evaluation. Methods: This study included a total of 109 patients with invasive breast cancers. Ki-67 IHC visual assessment was compared with the mRNA value determined by RT-qPCR. Concordance between both the methods was assessed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and Cohen's kappa value with intraclass correlation were performed. Results: The threshold value for Ki-67 by RT-qPCR obtained by ROC curve was 22.23 per cent, which was used to divide breast cancer cases into high proliferative and low proliferative groups. A significant correlation was observed between both the breast cancer groups formed using RT-qPCR threshold as well as median laboratory value of Ki-67 labelling index by IHC. Interpretation & conclusions: The study results showed a significant correlation between the two methods. While IHC is subject to technical and interpretative variability, RT-qPCR may offer a more objective alternative. PMID: 31719296 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Indian J Med Res - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Indian J Med Res Source Type: research