title: [Evaluation on parallel HER-2 testing using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry in breast cancer tissues].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the application of the immunohistochemistry (IHC) and the fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in detecting the amplification and the expression of HER-2 gene in the breast cancer patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-six cases of paraffin-embeded breast cancer samples with overexpression, low or no expression of HER-2 gene as detected by IHC were analyzed for HER-2 gene amplification using FISH.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 42 samples with HER-2 gene overexpression (3+/2+) detected by IHC, 31 showed positive HER-2 gene amplification and 11 showed negative HER-2 gene amplification in FISH. In the 24 samples with low or no HER-2 gene expression (1+/-) detected by IHC, no HER-2 gene amplification was detected by FISH. The results of the two testing methods showed a good consistency with the kappa coefficient of 0.672 (P<0.001). We also found that the 17 chromosome polysomy in 42% of the samples and the incidence of 17 polysomy was significantly higher in the HER-2 gene overexpression (3+/2+) group than in low or no HER-2 gene expression (1+/-) group (chi(2)=4.688, P=0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IHC can be used as a screening method for detecting HER-2 gene amplification, and FISH should be performed in cases of HER-2 gene overexpression (3+/2+) as detected by IHC.
authors.affiliation: Center of Prenatal Diagnosis, Maternal and Children's Hospital of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510010, China. panxiaoying5@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Xiao-Ying
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Hong-Yi
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Jia-Li
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Wen-Ting
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Shu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human