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Labrad : Vol 44, Issue 3 - December 2018, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi

LABRAD

• CD20 Negative B-Cell Lymphomas
• Quantification of Monoclonal Protein
• A Quick Guide to Immunofixation Electrophoresis
• Autologous Bone Marrow Transplantation at AKU
• Judicious Use of Immunohistochemistry & Ancillary Techniques in Precise Categorization of Lymphoproliferative Disorders

Seven Decades Of Vitamin D Research In Pakistan : Too Little, Too Much Or Just Right!, Aysha Habib Khan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

No abstract provided.

Task Sharing And Shifting To Provide Pathology Diagnostic Services: The Kenya Fine-Needle Aspiration Biopsy Cytology And Bone Marrow Aspiration And Trephine Biopsy Training Program, Shahin Sayed, Andrew Field, Jamilla Rajab, Anderson Mutuiri, Jessie Githanga, Mary Mungania, Nancy Okinda, Zahir Moloo, Abubakar Abdillah, Brian Ayara, Erick Chesori, Julia Muthua, Leah Obosy, Thaddeus Massawa, Okoth Obiero, Elizabeth Kagotho, Peter K. Shikuku, Andrew K. Gachii, Eunidah Migide, Donstefano Muninzwa, Sanford M. Dawsey, Lucy Muchiri

Pathology, East Africa

Purpose: Fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) cytology is a simple, inexpensive, and accurate diagnostic test for benign, infectious, and malignant lesions of the breast, thyroid, lymph nodes, and other organs. Similarly, bone marrow aspiration and trephine (BMAT) biopsy procedures are relatively simple and inexpensive techniques that are important for diagnosing and monitoring many hematologic diseases including leukemias and lymphomas. However, the scarcity of pathologists in Kenya limits patient access to these simple diagnostic tests. We describe a task sharing and shifting program that sought to improve the provision of FNABs and BMAT biopsies in tertiary public hospitals in Kenya.

Methods: Between …

Tuberculous Granuloma On Bone Marrow Trephine, Farheen Karim, Hira Qadir

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Bone marrow examination is a useful tool for diagnosis of many diseases. The utility of bone marrow examination in workup of pyrexia of unknown origin cannot be undermined. Bone trephine of patients presenting with pyrexia of unknown origin must be carefully looked upon for granulomas for evaluation of tuberculosis. In this case, bone marrow trephine aided in timely diagnosis of tuberculosis in a patient.

A Retrospective Study Of Laboratory-Based Enteric Fever Surveillance, Pakistan, 2012-2014, Farah Naz Qamar, Mohammad Tahir Yousafzai, Shazia Sultana, Attaullah Baig, Sadia Shakoor, Farzeen Hirani, Abdul Wassay, Sehrish Khushboo, Junaid Mehmood, Alexander Freeman

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Introduction: The Surveillance for Enteric Fever in Asia Project (SEAP) is a multisite surveillance study designed to capture morbidity and mortality burden of enteric fever (typhoid and paratyphoid) in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan. We aim to describe enteric fever disease burden, severity of illness, and antimicrobial resistance trends in Pakistan.
Methods: In this retrospective, cross-sectional study, laboratory records of hospitalized patients who received a blood culture in any of 3 Aga Khan University hospitals in Karachi and Hyderabad, Pakistan, from 2012 to 2014 were reviewed. A case was defined as having a positive blood culture for Salmonella Typhi (S. Typhi) …

Serous Cystadenoma Of Pancreas : A Clinicopathologic Experience Of 23 Cases From A Major Tertiary Care Center, Muhammad Usman Tariq, Zubair Ahmad, Jamshid Abdul Ghafar, Nasir Ud Din

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background: Serous cystadenomas of pancreas are rare benign epithelial neoplasms, which predominantly occur in the pancreatic body and tail of elderly females. Majority of these tumors have microcystic appearance. Macrocystic and solid variants have also been described. A number of more aggressive cystic pancreatic lesions are included in the differential diagnosis. Distinction from such lesions is important for optimal management.
Objective: Our aim was to study the clinical and histological features of serous cystadenomas which would be helpful in making their correct diagnosis and understanding their behavior.
Methods: We reviewed 23 cases of serous cystadenomas diagnosed in our institution between …

Myocardial Ischemia Reperfusion Injury: Apoptotic, Inflammatory And Oxidative Stress Role Of Galectin-3, Suhail Al-Salam, Satwat Hashmi

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Background/aims: Myocardial reperfusion has the potential to salvage the ischemic myocardium after a period of coronary occlusion. Reperfusion, however, can cause a wide spectrum of deleterious effects. Galectin-3 (GAL-3), a beta galactoside binding lectin, is closely associated with myocardial infarction (MI), myocardial fibrosis and heart failure. In our study, we investigated its role in ischemia-reperfusion injuries (IR) as this phenomenon is extremely relevant to the early intervention after acute MI.
Methods: C57B6/J wild type (WT) mice and GAL-3 knockout (KO) mice were used for murine model of IR injury in the heart where a period of 30 minutes ischemia was …

Expression Analysis Of Cyclooxygenase-2 In Patients Suffering From Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Shahida Tasneem, Muhammad Tahir Sarwa, Muhammad Rizwan Bashi, Hamid Hussain, Jawad Ahmed, Shahid Pervez

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the aggressive malignancies and mechanisms underlying its pathogenesis remain unclear. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzyme system plays a crucial role in many gastrointestinal malignancies and is an important regulator of cell growth, proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation and transformation. More precise outcome of COX-2 in ESCC is less investigated. In this study we investigated the risk factors of ESCC and expression of COX-2 in Carcinoma in situ (CIS) and ESCC compared to normal esophageal mucosa. ESCC relationship to clinico-pathological parameters using immunohistochemistry was also part of this investigation. Current study was conducted in the Institute of …

Vitamin D Status In Healthy Black African Adults At A Tertiary Hospital In Nairobi, Kenya: A Cross Sectional Study, Elizabeth Kagotho, Geoffrey Omuse, Nancy Okinda, Peter Ojwang

Pathology, East Africa

Background: Vitamin D has been known since the twentieth Century for its benefits in bone health. Recent observational studies have demonstrated its benefits in infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and non-communicable diseases such as diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. This has led to a dramatic increase in testing among adults. The cut-offs for vitamin D deficiency have been debated for decades and the current cut off is derived from a Caucasian population. Studies done among black African adults in Africa are few with vitamin D deficiency ranging from 5 to 91%. A few cut- offs have correlated vitamin D …

Paradigm Shift In Anti-Coagulating Patients With Non-Valvular Atrial Fibrillation, Bushra Moiz

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

No abstract provided.

Prospective Evaluation Of Serum Procalcitonin In Critically Ill Patients With Suspected Sepsis- Experience From A Tertiary Care Hospital In Pakistan, Sibtain Ahmed, Imran Siddiqui, Lena Jafri, Madiha Hashmi, Aysha Habib, Farooq Ghani

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background: Sepsis is the leading cause of mortality in critically ill patients. Procalcitonin (PCT) is a promising marker for identification of bacterial sepsis. The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of serum PCT concentration in patients with suspected sepsis admitted to mixed medical-surgical Intensive care unit (ICU).
Material and methods: A cross-sectional study conducted at section of Chemical Pathology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and ICU. Patients with suspected sepsis were included, serum PCT cut off ≥0.5 ng/ml was taken for diagnosing sepsis. Diagnostic accuracy was measured in terms of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value …

Fatal Invasive Gastrointestinal Fungal Infection In Three Non-Immunocompromised Patients, Zubair Ahmad, Sidra Arshad, Romana Idress, Nasir Uddin, Jamshid Abdul-Ghafar

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

The importance and frequency of invasive fungal infections in different organs, including the gastrointestinal tract, has increased due to excessive use of aggressive immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory drugs in malignant diseases and organ transplantations as well as increased infections with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Fungal infections in the small intestine or colon are usually part of a disseminated disease process and reach these organs through the bloodstream. Two of the patients were infants 10 and 15 days of age, while one was 23 years old. Patients presented with abdominal pain, intestinal obstruction, and rectal bleeding. Hirchsprung disease was suspected in …

Invasive Mediastinal Aspergillosis Presenting As Superior Vena Cava Syndrome In An Immunocompetent Patient, Yasmin Rahim, Aisha Memon, Javaid Khan

Section of Pulmonary & Critical Care

Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a disease of the immunocompromised with a predilection for the lungs, although dissemination to all organs is possible. Its diagnosis remains a challenge due to the absence of specific clinical manifestations and laboratory findings. In most cases, diagnosis is eventually made via invasive methods. It carries with it a high mortality due to late diagnosis and delayed treatment. Here, we report a fascinating case of a young, otherwise healthy, immunocompetent patient that presented to us with superior vena cava syndrome and a mediastinal mass. It was anticipated that a malignancy would be found on further workup …

Integrating Standardized Whole Genome Sequence Analysis With A Global Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Antibiotic Resistance Knowledgebase, Rumina Hasan, Matthew Ezewudo, Amanda Borens, Álvaro Chiner-Oms, Paolo Miotto, Leonid Chindelevitch, Angela M. Starks, Debra Hanna, Richard Liwsk, Matteo Zignol

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Drug-resistant tuberculosis poses a persistent public health threat. The ReSeqTB platform is a collaborative, curated knowledgebase, designed to standardize and aggregate global Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) variant data from whole genome sequencing (WGS) with phenotypic drug susceptibility testing (DST) and clinical data. We developed a unified analysis variant pipeline (UVP) ( https://github.com/CPTR-ReSeqTB/UVP ) to identify variants and assign lineage from MTBC sequence data. Stringent thresholds and quality control measures were incorporated in this open source tool. The pipeline was validated using a well-characterized dataset of 90 diverse MTBC isolates with conventional DST and DNA Sanger sequencing data. The UVP exhibited …

Labrad : Vol 44, Issue 2 - September 2018, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi

LABRAD

• Inappropriate Requesting Of Glycated Haemoglobin (HBA1c) By Clinicians
• Fecal Calprotectin (S100a8/S100a9)
• Fecal Pancreatic Elastase: A Test for Pancreatic Insufficiency
• Radiology Pathology Correlation
• Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS)
• WHO Classification of Head and Neck Tumours: An Update
• Plasma Metanephrines in Diagnosis of Pheochromocytoma
• Megaloblastic Anemia
• Aplastic AnemiaTransfusion Associated Circulatory Overload (Taco): A Severe But Preventable Transfusion Reaction

Microbiological And Clinical Profile Of Infective Endocarditis Patients: An Observational Study Experience From Tertiary Care Center Karachi Pakistan, Uzma Shahid, Hasanat Sharif, Joveria Farooqi, Bushra Jamil, E. Khan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background:
The study analyzed microbiological and antimicrobial susceptibility profile of organisms isolated from patients with infective endocarditis (2015–17) and compared disease outcomes in cohorts of endocarditis patient with history of prior invasive vascular intervention (high risk group) vs those without (native valve group). We hypothesized that high risk group would be more likely to have severe disease outcomes.
Methods:
This was a prospective cohort study (2015–17). All blood and cardiac tissue samples of enrolled patients suspected of endocarditis according to modified Duke’s criteria were followed for microbiological and antimicrobial susceptibility profile. The high risk group was compared with the native …

Neurological Complications In Patients With Plasmodium Vivax Malaria From Karachi, Pakistan, Mohammad Asim Beg, A Akhlaq, Najia Karim Ghanchi, B Usmani, R Shahzad, A Rahim, Mohammad Wasay

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background: Malaria remains an endemic disease in Pakistan with an estimated healthcare burden of 1.6 million cases annually, with Plasmodium vivax accounting for 67% of reported cases. P. vivax is the most common species causing malaria outside of Africa, with approximately 13.8 million reported cases worldwide.
Method: We report a series of P. vivax cases with cerebral involvement that presented at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan.
Results: The majority of the patients presented with high-grade fever accompanied by projectile vomiting and abnormal behaviour, seizures, shock and unconsciousness. Seven of 801 patients with P. vivax monoinfection presented or developed cerebral …

Evaluation Of Quality Of Warfarin Therapy By Assessing Patient's Time In Therapeutic Range At A Tertiary Care Hospital In Pakistan, Haris Hakeem, Ammar Zaman Khan, Kashif Aziz, Ayesha Abbasi, Anam Haider, Bushra Moiz, Mohammad Wasay

Section of Neurology

Objective: To assess the time in therapeutic range in patients on warfarin anti-coagulation therapy.

Methods: The retrospective chart review was conducted at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised data of patients having undergone anti-coagulation with warfarin from January 2013 to April 2015. To determine the mean time in therapeutic range, Rosendaal method was used. Association of time in therapeutic range with the composite outcome, bleeding and thromboembolic events was also assessed. Percentage of patients with time in therapeutic range <60% was calculated.

Results: There were 92 patients whose median time in therapeutic range was 34.9% (interquartile range: 20.0- 55.7). Overall, 71(77.2%) …

Low Grade Mullerian Adenosarcoma Of Pouch Of Douglas Recurring As Bilateral Ovarian High Grade Mullerian Adenosarcoma With Rhabdomyosarcomatous Overgrowth After 11 Years, Sandeep Kumar, Muhammad Raza, Muhammad Usman Tariq

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Mullerian adenosarcoma (MA) of ovary with sarcomatous (rhabdomyoblastic) overgrowth is an extremely rare malignant type of female genital tract neoplasm. These tumours are highly aggressive and presence of heterologous elements is associated with worse prognosis. A 44 year old female presented with lower abdominal pain and distension. She had history of removal of tumour from pouch of Douglas in 2006 for which she did not receive any additional treatment nor did she keep continuous follow up. Current preoperative radiological examination revealed bilateral ovarian masses. She underwent abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral oophorectomy. Microscopic examination revealed biphasic tumours exhibiting sarcomatous overgrowth with …

Her2 Basolateral Versus Circumferential Ihc Expression Is Dependent On Polarity And Differentiation Of Epithelial Cells In Gastric/Ge Adenocarcinoma, Shahid Pervez, Sidra Arshad, Brooj Abro

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Aim: Antigenic expression in epithelial cells can be heterogeneous which may pose a problem in immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis of tumor markers, in particular, predictive markers like HER2. Studies have shown that epithelial cells have distinct apical and basolateral domains which are separated by tight junctions. The cell membrane in these two domains has a different composition of macromolecules and hence can have variable antigen expression on immunohistochemistry. In our study, we aimed to investigate this phenomenon of basolateral versus circumferential IHC staining of HER2 in gastric/GE adenocarcinoma.
Methods: We selected 45 cases of gastric/GE adenocarcinoma and evaluated equal number of …

Clinicopathologic Features And Prognostic Grouping Of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (Gists) In Pakistani Patients: An Institutional Perspective, Atif Ali Hashmi, Mahrukh Faraz, Zareeha Nauman, Mohammad Usman Qureshi, Shumaila Kanwal Hashmi, Hira Fatima Waseem, Muhammad Muzzammil Edh, Naveen Faridi, Amir Khan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Objectives: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are rare tumors of gastrointestinal tract, prognosis of which largely depends upon histopathologic characteristics of resection specimens, which were not widely studied in our population. Therefore we aimed to evaluate the histopathologic characteristics of GISTs in our population and their prognostic grouping according to college of American pathologist’s guidelines.
Results: Mean age of patients was 53.4 years (18–71 years). 92% of cases were of primary GISTs and stomach was the most common site (57.7%). 75% of cases were of spindle cell morphology and 53.8% belonged to high risk prognostic group. Comparison of stomach and intestinal …

Evidence Of Chikungunya Virus Disease In Pakistan Since 2015 With Patients Demonstrating Involvement Of The Central Nervous System, Kelli L. Barr, Erum Khan, Joveria Farooqi, Kehkashan Imtiaz, Dhani Prakoso, Faisal Malik, John A. Lednicky, Maureen T. Long

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Several arboviruses are endemic to and co-circulate in Pakistan. In recent years, Pakistan has observed a rise in arboviral infections. A cross-sectional study for arboviral diseases, which included screening for Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), was initiated in 2015 to determine which pathogens were causing disease in patients presenting to health care services. Exposure to CHIKV was verified via detection of viral nucleic acids or virus-specific IgM with virus-specific neutralizing antibodies. Out of 997 enrolled patients presenting with clinical features suggestive of arboviral disease, 102 patients were positive for CHIKV IgM antibodies and 60 patients were positive for CHIKV nucleic acids or …

Cancer Prevalence In Pakistan: Meta-Analysis Of Various Published Studies To Determine Variation In Cancer Figures Resulting From Marked Population Heterogeneity In Different Parts Of The Country, Romana Idress, Saira Fatima, Jamshid Abdul Ghafar, Ahmed Raheem, Zubair Ahmad

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background: Pakistan’s population is ethnically diverse with distinct ethnic groups inhabiting various parts of the country. Cancer statistics obtained from specific regions populated by distinct ethnic groups may vary considerably. There is no national cancer registry. To determine whether there are indeed significant statistical differences in cancer incidence and prevalence, data was recorded from different parts of Pakistan based on the ethnic composition of the population in those parts.
Methods: Ten papers (original articles) on cancer incidence and prevalence in Pakistan published in the last two decades were selected from PubMed and Google Scholar. Meta-analysis of findings of these studies …

Labrad : Vol 44, Issue 1 - July 2018, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi

LABRAD

• How to Investigate a Bleeding Disorder
• Nucleic Acid Testing at AKUH
• Lab Diagnosis of von Willebrand Disease
• Ristocetin Cofactor Activity
• All You Need to Know About Thrombophilia Screening
• Utility of ADAMTS-13 Assay
• Homocysteine as a Risk Factor of Thrombosis
• Detection of Heparin/Platelet Factor 4 Antibodies
• Anti-factor Xa Assay

Clinicopathologic Features Of Invasive Metaplastic And Micropapillary Breast Carcinoma: Comparison With Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Of Breast, Atif Ali Hashmi, Saher Aijaz, Raeesa Mahboob, Saadia Mehmood Khan, Muhammad Irfan, Narisa Iftikhar, Mariam Nisar, Maham Siddiqui, Muhammad Muzzammil Edhi, Naveen Faridi, Amir Khan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of metaplastic breast carcinoma and invasive micropapillary carcinoma in our population and also to compare the clinico-pathologic features of metaplastic breast carcinoma and invasive micropapillary carcinoma with invasive ductal carcinoma, not otherwise specified (IDC, NOS).
Result: 86.9% of the cases were identified as ductal carcinoma, NOS, while 2.2% were metaplastic and 0.76% cases were micropapillary carcinoma. Metaplastic carcinomas were found to be of higher grade as compared to IDC, NOS as 81% of metaplastic carcinoma were grade III compared to 35% IDC, NOS. 79% of metaplastic carcinoma were ER …

Clinicopathological Prognostic Factors Of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: An Experience Of A Tertiary Care Hospital, Muhammad Usman Shaikh, Ahmed Raheem Baksh, Sayed Akbar Abbas, Javeria Saeed, Salman Hashmi

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Locoregional recurrence accounts for majority of the treatment failures in oral cancer patients. Current study aimed to determine the predictors of recurrence and survival in patients with biopsy proven Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) of the oral cavity. This study included 88 patients of squamous cell carcinoma treated at our institution from 2007 till 2013. Primary intervention was surgery in all patients with radiation and chemotherapy in selected patients. Primary end point was locoregional recurrence, distant metastasis and death. Out of 88 patients, 23 (26.1%) patients developed locoregional recurrence and 6 (6.8%) patients developed distant metastasis. Overall survival rate was 77.3%. …

Distribution Of Chromosomal Abnormalities Commonly Observed In Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia In Pakistan As Predictors Of Prognosis, Muhammad Shariq Shaikh, Zeeshan Ansar Ahmed, Mohammad Usman Shaikh, Salman Naseem Adil, Mohammad Khurshid, Tariq Moatter, Anila Rashid, Farheen Karim, Ahmed Raheem, Natasha Ali

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Objectives: The heterogenous response to treatment in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) can be attributed largely to the difference in cytogenetic features identified in between cases. Cytogenetic analysis in acute leukemia is now routinely used to assist patient management, particularly in terms of diagnosis, disease monitoring, prognosis and risk stratification. Knowing about cytogenetic profile at the time of diagnosis is important in order to take critical decisions in management of these patients. The study was conducted to determine the distribution of cytogenetic abnormalities in Pakistani adult patients with AML in order to have insights regarding behavior of the disease.
Methods: A …

Global Distribution Of Invasive Serotype 35d Streptococcus Pneumoniae Isolates Following Introduction Of 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine, Stephanie W. Lo, Rebecca A. Gladstone, Andries J. Van Tonder, Paulina A. Hawkins, Brenda Kwambana Adams, Jennifer E. Cornick, Shabir A. Madhi, Susan A. Nzenze, Mignon Du Plessis, Rama Kandasamy, Philip E. Carter, Sadia Shakoor

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

A newly recognized pneumococcal serotype 35D, which differs from the 35B polysaccharide in structure and serology by not binding to factor serum 35a, was recently reported. The genetic basis for this distinctive serology is due to the presence of an inactivating mutation in wciG, which encodes an O-acetyltransferase responsible for O-acetylation of a galactofuranose. Here, we assessed the genomic data of a worldwide pneumococcal collection to identify serotype 35D isolates and understand their geographical distribution, genetic background and invasiveness potential. Of 21,980 pneumococcal isolates, 444 were originally typed as serotype 35B by PneumoCaT. Analysis of wciGrevealed 23 isolates …

Inherited Bleeding Disorders-Experience Of A Not-For-Profit Organization In Pakistan, Shabneez Hussain, Shahida Baloch, Azra Parvin, Akbar Najmuddin, Farhana Musheer, Mubashra Junaid, Rab Nawaz Memon, Fareeda Bhanbhro, Hayat Ullah, Bushra Moiz

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Patient registry is a powerful tool for planning health care and setting groundwork for research. This survey reports a detailed registry of inherited bleeding disorders (IBD) and their management at a not-for-profit organization in a developing country to form the basis for planning development and research. We reviewed medical records of patients with IBD from 8 hemophilia treatment centers of Fatimid Foundation located in various cities. Information collected included sociodemographic data, diagnostic tests, severity of hemophilia A and B, number of bleeding episodes per year, site and frequency of hemarthrosis, and seropositivity for viral diseases. We analyzed 1497 patients from …

Evaluation Of Breast Cancer Biomarkers Using Genexpert® On Core Biopsy-A Retrospective Laboratory Based Validation Study., Erick Chesori

Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women worldwide. It is a significant cause of cancer related morbidity and mortality among Kenyan women. Evaluation of Estrogen receptor (ER), Progesterone receptor (PR), and Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) in breast cancer tissue is standard of care as these biomarkers have been shown to have both prognostic and predictive utility. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is the gold standard for evaluation of ER/PR/HER2, but its availability in Kenya is limited due to the high operational cost. There have been recent developments in alternative cheaper and readily accessible molecular based testing platforms …