title: Tissue microarray construction for salivary gland tumors study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe and discuss the design, building and usefulness of tissue microarray (TMA) blocks for the study of salivary gland tumors (SGTs).
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred thirty-eight formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded SGTs were arranged in blocks of TMA using a manual tissue arrayer. Three representative cores of 1.0, 2.0 or 3.0mm were taken from each original block and their characteristics were analyzed and described.
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was created 12 TMA blocks that presented highly representative neoplastic cylinders. However, those neoplasias rich in cystic spaces such as mucoepidermoid carcinoma and Warthin tumor presented more difficulties to be sampled, as the neoplastic tissue available was scarce. Tissue damage and loss during TMA construction was estimated as 3.7%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Representative areas of SGTs, with relatively small loss of tissue, can be obtained with the construction of TMA blocks for molecular studies. However, tumors rich in cystic spaces present more difficulties to be adequately sampled.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Diagnosis Oral Pathology Section, Piracicaba Dental School, State University of Campinas - São Paulo - Brazil.
authors.forename: Felipe
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Paiva-Fonseca
authors.forename: Oslei-Paes
authors.initials: OP
authors.lastname: de Almeida
authors.forename: Ana-Lúcia-Carrinho
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Ayroza-Rangel
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Agustin-Vargas
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D012468:Salivary Gland Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis / Q000379:methods*