The value of tumor grade as one of the key drivers for long term prognosis of hormone receptor positive early invasive breast cancer has been widely documented over the last decade and tumor grade is part of all current treatment guidelines and decision algorithms.

However, assessment of tumor grade, measured to date by histology, suffers two limitations:

1. variability of assessment across pathology labs, and
   
   
2. presence of an intermediate category, histologic grade 2, which can represent as much as 50% of tumors and has a limited informative power for treatment decision making.

The Genomic Grade is addressing these 2 limitations. Proliferation genes are the main component of the selected gene signature. The added value of Genomic Grade to identify high and low grade tumors, esp. in histologic grade 2 tumors, has been documented on 3 000 cases. Moreover, Genomic Grade is able to separate Luminal A and Luminal B tumors.

Genomic Grade is currently available in Europe as MapQuant™, an Affymetrix micro-array based assay. A PCR version of the test, adapted to formalin fixed-parafin embedded specimens, is under development and should be available end 2011.

Interested in IPSOGEN’s developments in Breast Cancers?
Please contact us.