Mammographic density and histopathologic markers: An example of using tissue microarrays in breast cancer research

Background: Mammographic density is a strong predictor of breast cancer risk, yet the underlying cellular basis is not clear. This study examined the association of mammographic density with the expression of hormonal and proliferation markers in epithelium and of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their inhibitors (TIMP) in stromal tissue of breast cancer cases using tissue microarrays (TMAs). Methods: We recruited breast cancer cases from a nested case-control study within the Multiethnic Cohort in Hawaii and obtained paraffin-embedded pathologic blocks through the tumor registry. For 279 participants, TMAs…