The role of microarray technologies in the study of soft tissue tumours

• Published in: Histopathology Vol. 48; no. 1; pp. 22 - 31
• Main Authors: West, R B, Van De Rijn, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Science Ltd 01-01-2006; Blackwell
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Cluster Analysis; gene array; Gene Expression Profiling; Humans; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Medical sciences; Microarray Analysis - methods; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis - methods; Pathology. Cytology. Biochemistry. Spectrometry. Miscellaneous investigative techniques; sarcomas; Soft Tissue Neoplasms - diagnosis; Soft Tissue Neoplasms - genetics; soft tissue tumours; tissue microarray; Anatomic pathology; Gene; Sarcoma; gene array; soft tissue tumours; Technology; Tissue microarrays; tissue microarray; Genetics; Soft tissue; Malignant tumor; sarcomas
• ISSN: 0309-0167; 1365-2559
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2559.2005.02286.x

Array technologies (gene array, tissue microarray and others) are being used in a growing number of research projects involving soft tissue tumours. Gene array techniques allow for measurements of RNA expression levels or gene copy number changes for a large number of genes in a single specimen. A complementary technique, tissue microarrays, allows for the measurement of expression of a single gene in a large number of specimens. These techniques and similar ones have created a fundamentally new approach to the investigation of soft tissue tumours. This review addresses some of the advantages, problems, and solutions to those problems that come with these technologies.