This study presents the construction of a tissue microarray from brain metastases from non- small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC) with paired primary tumors. Samples, collected consecutively between 2006 and 2021 (15 years) at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), are associated with an anonymized database containing clinical and pathological variables. In total, 878 samples were analyzed, comprising 439 brain metastases paired with 439 primary tumors. The study specifically focuses on brain metastases originating from non-small cell lung cancers. Sample selection involved the use of several criteria, including sample size, surgical modality of extraction, presence of histological sections and frozen tissue in the CHUV pathology tissue bank, as well as optical confirmation of their validity.
Once the samples were identified, histological sections were scanned for digitalization, thus facilitating the analysis and selection process leading to the tissue microarray. The final cohort includes 28 selected cases, all derived from primary lung tumors. The final cohort established through this work exhibits signs of good quality and demonstrates characteristics comparable to what the literature reports. Limitations such as selection biases and potential gaps in clinical data were identified and noted, adding nuance to the results presented.
The tissue microarray is accompanied by a database containing extensive information about the cohort. The data were coded and anonymized, encompassing a wide range of clinical and pathological variables that are made available for further research in the future.