A methodology to identify consensus classes from clustering algorithms applied to immunohistochemical data from breast cancer patients.
Soria D, Garibaldi JM, Ambrogi F, Green AR, Powe D, Rakha E, Macmillan RD, Blamey RW, Ball G, Lisboa PJ, Etchells TA, Boracchi P, Biganzoli E, Ellis IO. A methodology to identify consensus classes from clustering algorithms applied to immunohistochemical data from breast cancer patients. Comput Biol Med. 2010 Mar;40(3):318-30.
Single clustering methods have often been used to elucidate clusters in high dimensional medical data, even though reliance on a single algorithm is known to be problematic. In this paper, we present a methodology to determine a set of 'core classes' by using a range of techniques to reach consensus across several different clustering algorithms, and to ascertain the key characteristics of these classes. We apply the methodology to immunohistochemical data from breast cancer patients. In doing so, we identify six core classes, of which several may be novel sub-groups not previously emphasised in literature.

