
Limitations of Conventional Immunohistochemistry for TROP2 Assessment
Exploring the complexities of Trop-2 expression in cancer, this discussion highlights challenges in measurement and its implications for treatment efficacy.
Episodes in this series
Drs. Levy and Rimm focus on how TROP2 is currently assessed in clinical practice and the limitations of relying on conventional immunohistochemistry with manual scoring. Dr. Rimm explains how subjective interpretation, inter-institutional variability, and lack of standardization complicate the assessment of TROP2 expression, particularly at lower levels. The discussion highlights why high expression is generally easier to recognize, while distinguishing between low expression and true negativity remains challenging. Dr. Levy connects these technical limitations to clinical outcomes, noting that TROP2 immunohistochemistry has not reliably predicted response to TROP2-directed antibody drug conjugates in lung cancer trials. Together, they explain why conventional scoring approaches may fail to provide oncologists with consistent, actionable information and why more quantitative and reproducible methods are needed to support biomarker-driven treatment decisions.


































