title: Endogenous biotin expression in renal and testicular tumours and literature review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to examine endogenous biotin levels in tumour specimens collected from patients with renal and testicular tumours and compare them to the surrounding non-neoplastic surgical margin.
  
  
  METHODS
  Frozen samples were obtained from the Ontario Tumour Bank. Renal and testicular tumour tissue were included in this study. Normal tissue from the negative surgical margins of each tumour served as a control. Biotin detection in tissue specimens was determined using immunohistochemistry (IHC).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Specimens collected from 56 patients (36 men and 20 women) were included in this study. Histopathology of the 52 renal tumours included 31 (60%) conventional type RCC, 5 (10%) chromophobe RCC, 5 (10%) papillary RCC, 1 (2%) oncocytoma and 10 (19%) upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UC). The 4 testicular tumours included 1 seminomatous (25%) germ cell tumour and 3 (75%) non seminomatous germ cell tumours.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  No biotin signal was perceived in all tested tumour samples. Endogenous biotin expression was detected in the matching non-neoplastic surgical margin of tested renal tissues. This lack of staining may prove to be a valuable tool in future studies.
authors.affiliation: Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Western University, London ON;
authors.forename: Nader
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fahmy
authors.affiliation: Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Western University, London ON;
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Woo
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical Pathology, Western University, London ON;
authors.forename: Mona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alameldin
authors.affiliation: Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Western University, London ON;
authors.forename: Joe King
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Western University, London ON;
authors.forename: Kyle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: MacDonald
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Western University, London ON;
authors.forename: Lee W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Goneau
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Western University, London ON;
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cadieux
authors.affiliation: Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Western University, London ON; ; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Western University, London ON;
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Burton
authors.affiliation: Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Western University, London ON; ; Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Oncology, Western University, London ON.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pautler