Integrated analysis of independent gene expression microarray datasets improves the predictability of breast cancer outcome.

Background Gene expression profiles based on microarray data have been suggested by many studies as potential molecular prognostic indexes of breast cancer. However, due to the confounding effect of clinical background, independent studies often obtained inconsistent results. The current study investigated the possibility to improve the quality and generality of expression profiles by integrated analysis of multiple datasets. Profiles of recurrence outcome were derived from two independent datasets and validated by a third dataset.