Breast cancer organoids showed that cells from tissue judged tumour-free under the microscope could still grow, renew themselves and migrate. The finding adds a functional research layer to diagnosis without replacing histology.
Cells taken from breast tissue judged free of tumour under the microscope grew, renewed themselves and migrated when cultivated as organoids. The result comes from an exploratory study led by the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) and the Instituto de Investigación del Hospital 12 de Octubre i+12. It does not show that the margins contained residual cancer. It does show information that conventional histology cannot provide on its own.
The difference is between how tissue looks in a fixed sample and what its living cells can do under controlled laboratory conditions. Histopathology remains essential for diagnosis because it shows tissue morphology and organisation. Organoids address another question. They let researchers watch how cells organise themselves, grow, self-renew, differentiate and migrate.
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