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Using tissue adjacent to carcinoma as a normal control: an obvious but questionable practice
Author(s) -
Braakhuis Boudewijn JM,
Leemans C René,
Brakenhoff Ruud H
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
the journal of pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.964
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1096-9896
pISSN - 0022-3417
DOI - 10.1002/path.1549
Subject(s) - carcinoma , immunohistochemistry , pathology , biology , epithelium , cancer , medicine , genetics
When carcinoma tissue is investigated using biochemical, immunohistochemical, and genetic techniques, adjacent tissue that is macroscopically normal is frequently used as a control, since cancer‐related pheno‐ and geno‐typic alterations are assumed to be absent. However, a field that contains genetically abnormal cells surrounds a significant proportion of carcinomas (for example, over 30% of head and neck cancers). These fields can be large (>7 cm in diameter) and consist of cells that are clonally related to the carcinoma. This indicates that adjacent epithelium must be checked for genetic abnormalities before it is considered normal and used as a control for comparison with carcinoma. Copyright © 2004 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.