Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41649514›Full record

ArticleVirchows Archiv : an international journal of pathology2026

Genetic variant interpretation in tumours in the French national ring trials Gen&Tiss - main criteria of improvement.

Medina Kalimulaeva, Leen Van Langenhoven, Karen Leroy, Isabelle Soubeyran, Alexandre Harle, Aude Lamy, Ludovic Lacroix, Dominique Fetique, Anne Gaire, Jean-Pierre Bellocq and 2 more

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Virchows Archiv : an international journal of pathology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

12 authors.

Medina KalimulaevaBiomedical Quality Assurance Research Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 7 Block G - Box 7001, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0005-2556-638X
Leen Van LangenhovenInteruniversity Centre for Biostatistics and Statistical Bioinformatics, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 7 Block A - Box 7001, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
Karen LeroyDepartment of Genomic Medicine and Cancers, Georges Pompidou European Hospital, APHP, 20 Rue Leblanc, 75015, Paris, France.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4379-0140
Isabelle SoubeyranDepartment of Pathology, Institut Bergonié, 229 Cours de l'Argonne, 33000, Bordeaux, France.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7501-7622
Alexandre HarleInstitut de Cancérologie de Lorraine, Université de Lorraine, 6 Av. de Bourgogne, 54519, Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9548-6522
Aude LamyDepartment of Pathology, Hospital Charles Nicolle, CHU de Rouen, 37 Bd Gambetta, 76000, Rouen, France.
Ludovic LacroixGustave Roussy, Department of Pathology and Medical Biology, Cancer Genetics Laboratory, 114 Rue Edouard Vaillant, 94800, Villejuif, France.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2535-1010
Dominique FetiqueFrench Association of Quality Assurance in Pathology (AFAQAP), 1 Av. Molière, 67098, Strasbourg, France.
Anne GaireFrench Association of Quality Assurance in Pathology (AFAQAP), 1 Av. Molière, 67098, Strasbourg, France.
Jean-Pierre BellocqFrench Association of Quality Assurance in Pathology (AFAQAP), 1 Av. Molière, 67098, Strasbourg, France.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0008-3941-6755
Els DequekerBiomedical Quality Assurance Research Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 7 Block G - Box 7001, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5383-3178
Etienne RouleauGustave Roussy, Department of Pathology and Medical Biology, Cancer Genetics Laboratory, 114 Rue Edouard Vaillant, 94800, Villejuif, France. etienne.rouleau@gustaveroussy.fr.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9046-257X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cancer progression is driven by the accumulation of genetic variants, with technological advances increasing their detection. Precise variant interpretation is essential for clinical decision-making, necessitating robust quality assurance programmes. However, variability in interpretation can influence clinical outcomes. This study examines factors contributing to interpretation variability across French laboratories and evaluates the role of EQA schemes in enhancing consistency. Five-year data from the Gen&Tiss EQA programme (2018-2023) focusing on pathogenicity and actionability was analysed. Forty-four participants evaluated 75 variants in colon, lung, and melanoma cancer, while 17 evaluated 50 variants in ovarian cancer. The criteria included the entity responsible for post-analysis, MTB consultations, access to the private French OncoGenetics (FrOG) germline variant database, laboratory activity levels, type of institution, and interpretation complexity. Over the study period, laboratory performance improved significantly, with annual increases of 2.6% in multiparametric pathogenicity and 6.3% in actionability. Laboratories with dedicated somatic genetics services achieved the highest pathogenicity scores. While MTB consultations had inconsistent effects on variant interpretation, access to FrOG database was associated with higher pathogenicity scores in the ovarian programme. Additionally, higher laboratory activity correlated with improved interpretation accuracy, and increased interpretation complexity was linked to lower pathogenicity scores. These findings highlight structural factors affecting interpretation, but further investigation is needed at the individual level to inform policy and training strategies.

Indexed as

Genetic TestingGenetic VariationNeoplasmsFemaleFranceGenetic Predisposition to DiseaseHumansExternal quality assessment (EQA)Molecular tumour board (MTB)Tumour biomarkersVariant interpretationVariant of unclassified significance (VUS)

Identifiers

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.