Gauging the accuracy of breast cancer biomarker tests

A team led by David Rimm, professor of pathology at Yale School of Medicine, investigated protein expression in breast tissue biomarkers to determine whether the time from tissue removal to fixation in preservative can affect the accuracy of testing for cancer.

The study appears in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

An inaccurate measurement can result in false-negative results.

The researchers found significant changes in several of the proteins, and recommend that more testing be done to ensure accurate assessment of tissue biomarkers for the presence of cancer.