Original ContributionsWeb-based tissue microarray image data analysis: Initial validation testing through prostate cancer Gleason grading*,**
Section snippets
Tissue microarray construction
A prostate tissue microarray block containing 432 tissue cores (each core 0.6 mm in diameter) was constructed from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded radical prostatectomy tissues from men with clinically localized, previously untreated prostate cancer. Specific representative regions of cancer and noncancerous prostate tissue for tissue microarray biopsy were circled on face sections of donor blocks from these cases by 1 pathologist (M.A.R.). Array construction was performed using a manual
Image download and interpretation time
Transmission time from our Baltimore-based server for single flashpix images during the analysis sessions varied from 2 to 3 seconds in Baltimore to 3 to 5 seconds on 1 day in Houston and 10 seconds on another day in Houston. Download times in Ann Arbor similarly were usually in the 2- to 3-second range but also were much longer (up to 15 seconds) on another occasion. Individual image interpretation time was not specifically measured but in general varied between <5 seconds and 30 seconds per
Discussion
Recent improvements in the ability to study multiple tissues on single glass slides has cracked open the door for high-throughput tissue-based research.1, 2, 3, 4 Tissue microarray technology is similar in name to complementary DNA (cDNA) array technology but has many requirements that are unique to tissue analysis, and its limitations have not been studied in depth. The work described here is a test of a novel Web-based approach to tissue microarray image data storage and analysis. To test
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Radhakrishnan Balu for computer programming.
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Cited by (0)
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Supported by grants NCI 1P50 CA58236 and ACS TPRN-98-286-01-CCE (to G.S.B.), NIH 5P30 CA06973-35 (to G.P.), NCI 1P50 CA58236 (to J.I.E.), NCI 1P50 CA 58204-01 CF2 (to T.W.), and NCI 1P50 CA69568 (to M.R. and N.M.).
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Address correspondence and reprint requests to G. Steven Bova, MD, Johns Hopkins Department of Pathology, PELICAN Informatics Laboratory, Pathology Building Rm 301, 600 North Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD 21287-6417.