Intermediate
Technical
In the Industry Vocabulary Test
tumor purity
The percentage of cancer cells relative to normal cells in a tissue sample used for genomic analysis.
Full Definition
A critical quality metric representing the proportion of malignant cells within a tumor specimen, typically expressed as a percentage. Tumor purity directly affects the sensitivity of mutation detection, with higher purity samples enabling detection of lower-frequency variants. Pathologists estimate tumor purity through histological examination, while computational methods can estimate it from genomic data. Minimum purity thresholds (often 20-30%) are required for reliable genomic profiling.
Usage
Usage note: Sometimes used interchangeably with 'cellularity' but tumor purity is more precise for genomic contexts.
In Context
- "The specimen showed 85% tumor purity, meeting criteria for comprehensive genomic profiling." — Pathology assessment
- "Low tumor purity (15%) may have contributed to the failure to detect known driver mutations." — Quality control review
Also known as
cellularity
tumor content
Contrasted with
normal tissue contamination
Don't confuse with
tumor burden
tumor cellularity