FFPE samples from cavitational ultrasonic surgical aspirates are suitable for RNA profiling of gliomas

PLoS One. 2021 Jul 22;16(7):e0255168. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0255168. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

During surgical procedures for gliomas, tissue material obtained from cavitational ultrasonic surgical aspirators (CUSAs) is generally discarded but can actually exceed the amount and quality of certain tumour core resections (TCRs). Despite reports indicating the suitability of CUSA-derived material for diagnosis and research, its use is still marginal. We extended these conclusions to formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples, the most common format for archival tumour tissue in anatomical pathology departments, by conducting for the first time RNA-seq analysis in CUSA aspirates. We compared the molecular diagnosis of somatic mutations used in the clinical routine and the gene expression profiles of fixed solid material from CUSA aspirates and TCRs from the same patients in selected gliomas encompassing grades II to IV. Despite the characteristic heterogeneity of gliomas, we found substantial similarities between the corresponding aspirates and TCRs that included transcriptional signatures associated with glioma subtypes. Based on these results, we confirmed that CUSA-fixed biomaterials from glioma surgeries are appropriate for downstream applications and biomarkers screening.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Formaldehyde / chemistry*
  • Gene Expression Profiling*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Glioma / genetics*
  • Glioma / surgery*
  • Humans
  • Paraffin Embedding*
  • Principal Component Analysis
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • RNA, Neoplasm / genetics*
  • RNA, Neoplasm / metabolism
  • Tissue Fixation*
  • Transcriptome / genetics
  • Ultrasonics*

Substances

  • RNA, Messenger
  • RNA, Neoplasm
  • Formaldehyde

Grants and funding

L.M.V.: Grants CP15/00180 and CPII20/00025 Instituto de Salud Carlos III and Fondo Social Europeo 2014-2020 Grants PI16/00722 and PI19/00125 Instituto de Salud Carlos III and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional 2014-2020 The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.