HER-2/neu gene amplification in ovarian tumours: a comprehensive immunohistochemical and FISH analysis on tissue microarrays.
OBJECTIVE
Data on HER-2/neu overexpression, its correlation to prognosis and the success of treatment with Herceptin((R)) in ovarian carcinomas are scarce and contradictory. Therefore we assessed HER-2/neu expression and amplification in a large series of ovarian tumours by using tissue microarrays (TMAs).


RESULTS
Two TMAs containing 173 invasive carcinomas, 36 borderline tumours, 20 granulosa cell tumours, 14 carcinosarcomas, 11 benign cystadenoms and eight other pelvic tumours were constructed to assess HER-2/neu gene amplification by fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) and immunohistochemistry. Immunohistochemistry was successful in 94.3%; 81.8% were HercepTest negative, 11.3% were scored as 1+, 4.1% as 2+ and 2.8% as 3+, including 3.1% of invasive carcinomas, 2.8% of borderline tumours and 7.7% of carcinosarcomas; 83.6% could be analysed successfully by FISH revealing no aberration in 75.8%, low amplification in 2.7% and high amplification in 3.7% of the cases. In 17.8% monosomy, trisomy, polysomy or deletion could be detected. All cases with high-level amplification had 2+ or 3+ scores on immunohistochemistry.


CONCLUSIONS
TMA is a feasible tool to study a large number of ovarian cases. Correlation between immunohistochemistry and FISH was excellent. HER-2/neu overexpression or gene amplification does not correlate with histological tumour type, stage, grade or prognosis.
Mayr
D
D
Sloning Biotechnology GmbH, Puchheim, Germany. doris.mayr@med.uni-muenchen.de
Kanitz
V
V
Amann
G
G
Engel
J
J
Burges
A
A
Löhrs
U
U
Diebold
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005784:Gene Amplification; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis / Q000379:methods
D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases