Inter-observer agreement in reporting HER 2 Neu protein over expression by immunohistochemistry.
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Date
2014-04
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Abstract
Introduction: HER 2 Neu protein overexpression and its detection by
immunohistochemistry (IHC) has become quiet critical because of its relevance
in regards to Herceptin treatment. This peer review was done at a tertiary care
center, which aimed at determining the inter-observer variation among fi ve
pathologists and evaluating the degree of agreement between them. Aims: The
aim of our study was to determine the reproducibility of HER 2 Neu system of
reporting in breast cancer cases and determine inter-observer variability among
fi ve pathologists at a tertiary care center. To compare the results with similar
studies done at other centers. Settings and Design: Retrospective descriptive
study. Materials and Methods: Hematoxylin and Eosin (H and E) and IHC
stained slides of 104 cases of carcinoma breast, on which HER 2 Neu status had
been reported were reviewed. The time period for selection was from January
2010 to December 2011 (2 year period). Five pathologists reviewed the H and
E and IHC slides independently and scored the results on a specially designed
work sheet. Kappa values for inter-observer variation and Cornbach’s alpha for
internal consistency were calculated. Statistical Analysis Used: SPSS 20.0
(IBM). not known. Results: Complete agreement was seen between all fi ve
pathologists in 70 cases (70/104) = 67%. Agreement between four pathologists
was seen in 78 cases (78/104) = 75%. Agreement between three pathologists
was seen in 92 cases (92/104) = 88%. The global value for kappa co effi cient
for agreement between two pathologists was 0.706 and Cornbach alpha for
internal consistency of reporting in the department was 0.987. Conclusion/
Key Messages: Our departmental peer review indicated that there is good
inter-observer concordance (agreement between two pathologists) and there
is strong overall internal consistency of reporting for HER 2 Neu reporting by
IHC. Our results are comparable to International reported data of similar studies.
Description
Keywords
HER 2 Neu, immunohistochemistry, peer review
Citation
A l Haddabi Ibrahim, Qureshi Asim, Saparamadu Anna, A l Hamdani Aisha, A l Riyami Marwa, Ganguly Shyam. Inter-observer agreement in reporting HER 2 Neu protein over expression by immunohistochemistry. Indian Journal of Pathology & Microbiology. 2014 Apr-Jun 57 (2): 201-204.