Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28648142›Full record

ArticleBMC medicine2017

Overcoming intratumoural heterogeneity for reproducible molecular risk stratification: a case study in advanced kidney cancer.

Alexander L R Lubbock, Grant D Stewart, Fiach C O'Mahony, Alexander Laird, Peter Mullen, Marie O'Donnell, Thomas Powles, David J Harrison, Ian M Overton

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC medicine, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 22% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Alexander L R LubbockMRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK.
Grant D StewartMRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK.
Fiach C O'MahonyMRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK.
Alexander LairdMRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK.
Peter MullenSchool of Medicine, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9TF, UK.
Marie O'DonnellScottish Collaboration On Translational Research into Renal Cell Cancer (SCOTRRCC), Scotland, UK.
Thomas PowlesBarts Cancer Institute, Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre, Queen Mary University of London, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK.
David J HarrisonScottish Collaboration On Translational Research into Renal Cell Cancer (SCOTRRCC), Scotland, UK.
Ian M OvertonMRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK. ian.overton@ed.ac.uk.
University of Edinburgh · GBMRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine · GBUniversity of St Andrews · GBQueen Mary University of London · GBWestern General Hospital · GB

Funding

Cancer Research UKMedical Research Council MC_UU_12018/25
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMetastatic clear cell renal cell cancer (mccRCC) portends a poor prognosis and urgently requires better clinical tools for prognostication as well as for prediction of response to treatment. Considerable investment in molecular risk stratification has sought to overcome the performance ceiling encountered by methods restricted to traditional clinical parameters. However, replication of results has proven challenging, and intratumoural heterogeneity (ITH) may confound attempts at tissue-based stratification.

methodsWe investigated the influence of confounding ITH on the performance of a novel molecular prognostic model, enabled by pathologist-guided multiregion sampling (n = 183) of geographically separated mccRCC cohorts from the SuMR trial (development, n = 22) and the SCOTRRCC study (validation, n = 22). Tumour protein levels quantified by reverse phase protein array (RPPA) were investigated alongside clinical variables. Regularised wrapper selection identified features for Cox multivariate analysis with overall survival as the primary endpoint.

resultsThe optimal subset of variables in the final stratification model consisted of N-cadherin, EPCAM, Age, mTOR (NEAT). Risk groups from NEAT had a markedly different prognosis in the validation cohort (log-rank p = 7.62 × 10

conclusionsThis case study in mccRCC quantitatively demonstrates the critical importance of tumour sampling for the success of molecular biomarker studies research where ITH is a factor. The NEAT model shows promise for mccRCC prognostication and warrants follow-up in larger cohorts. Our work evidences actionable parameters to guide sample collection (tumour coverage, size, grade) to inform the development of reproducible molecular risk stratification methods.

Indexed as

Genetic HeterogeneityAdultAgedBiomarkers, TumorCarcinoma, Renal CellCohort StudiesFemaleHumansKidney NeoplasmsMaleMiddle AgedNeoplasm ProteinsPrognosisProportional Hazards ModelsProtein Array AnalysisSurvival RateBiomarkers, TumorNeoplasm ProteinsCancerPrognostic markersRenal cell carcinomaTumour biomarkersTumour heterogeneity

Identifiers

PMID28648142
PMCPMC5483837
OpenAlexW2625672602

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.