The UBC Division of Gynecologic Research Award is an annual award of up to $20,000 in support of research on gynecologic cancers. These grants are for up to $20,000, are one time only (i.e. non-renewable), and are designed to provide critical review, with rapid turn-around and constructive feedback, and funding for proposals that would not be eligible to receive funding at the national level.

Last time, we profiled Dr. Karolin Heinze and her work on ovarian cancer and endometriosis. Dr. Emily Thompson is the second grant recipient for the 2020/21 Division of Gynecologic Oncology Research Awards. 

Dr. Thompson is a Research Fellow with UBC’s Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and OVCARE. Her research centres on prognostically relevant molecular classification approaches for tumours of the lower female genital tract. Dr. Thompson is a New Zealand-trained physician and honed her clinical skills in hospital wards for several years before transitioning to anatomical pathology training. “That time spent caring for patients on the wards was foundational: it taught me the importance of an accurate tissue diagnosis to ensure patients receive the most effective treatment for their condition.” 

The practice of pathology takes place in the lab and diagnostic testing results generally support or confirm a clinical diagnosis. For Dr. Thompson, the appeal of anatomical pathology as a medical specialty is “the satisfaction of providing diagnostic clarity for patients and those who care for them. Clinical medicine is incredibly gratifying, but there’s often a degree of uncertainty if patients and their care team don’t have a tissue diagnosis. In anatomical pathology, we’re less visible to our patients, but we work closely with our clinical colleagues and take into account the patient’s history & imaging findings when we examine tissue specimens.” 

Anatomical pathologists in the past have used mainly simple stains, like hematoxylin and eosin, to evaluate tissue and tumour appearances using a light microscope- technology which has remained largely unchanged for 120 years. Over the last 25 years, new diagnostic tools have emerged, including immunohistochemical (IHC) staining. IHC uses tissue and tumour specific antibodies to detect protein expression at the cellular level. Other modalities such as next generation sequencing (NGS) can be used to detect genetic alterations that initiate or promote a range of diseases – including gynecologic cancers such as endometrial cancer.    

Study Proposal: Characterization and Prognostic Significance of Subclonal Molecular Marker Expression in ProMisE-evaluated Endometrial Cancers  

Dr. Thompson’s study proposal aims to extend our understanding of an unusual pattern of IHC staining encountered in the context of molecular classification of endometrial cancer. ‘Subclonal’ staining refers to an abrupt transition between normal and abnormal [mismatch repair and p53] immunoexpression. The clinical significance of this unusual and distinct staining pattern is not well understood. Dr. Thompson’s project will investigate underlying genetic alterations which give rise to subclonal p53 and mismatch repair IHC staining to improve our understanding of the clinical significance of this finding. The goal is to ensure those with endometrial cancer are directed towards appropriate molecular testing, subtype-specific interventional research studies, and personalized therapeutic approaches.