Topoisomerase II alpha gene copy loss has adverse prognostic significance in ERBB2-amplified breast cancer: a retrospective study of paraffin-embedded tumor specimens and medical charts.

Background: Amplification of the ERBB2 (Her-2/neu) oncogene, which occurs in approximately 25% of breast carcinomas, is a known negative prognostic factor. Available data indicate that a variable number of nearby genes on chromosome 17q may be co-amplified or deleted, forming a continuous amplicon of variable size. In approximately 25% of these patients, the amplicon extends to the gene for topoisomerase II alpha (TOP2A), a target for anthracyclines.

Chromosome 1 analysis in chromophobe renal cell carcinomas with tissue microarray (TMA)-facilitated fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) demonstrates loss of 1p/1 which is also present in renal oncocytomas.

Morphologic overlap between chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (ChRCC) and renal oncocytomas (RO) has been widely recognized. Whether these tumors are genetically related and represent a spectrum of benign to malignant tumor progression remains an open question. We previously showed by conventional cytogenetics and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) that the most common chromosomal abnormality in RO is loss of chromosome 1 or 1p.

High incidence of chromosome 1 abnormalities in a series of 27 renal oncocytomas: cytogenetic and fluorescence in situ hybridization studies.

Context: It has recently been shown by cytogenetics that there is a high incidence of chromosome 1 abnormalities in renal oncocytomas.

Objective: To confirm the cytogenetic results by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis.

Design: Nine additional cytogenetic analyses were added to those reported in our recent study, with a total of 27 tumors studied, which makes it the largest series of renal oncocytomas studied to date by cytogenetics and/or FISH.

Gene copy mapping of the ERBB2/TOP2A region in breast cancer.

ERBB2 is one of the most important oncogenes in breast cancer, and its disordered expression is commonly associated with gene amplification. Amplification of at least one gene near ERBB2, topoisomerase IIalpha (TOP2A), has been shown to be clinically significant, but the prevailing patterns of gene amplification in this region of chromosome arm 17q have not been studied systematically in clinical cases of breast cancer. For characterizing this region, a commercial ERBB2-containing contig probe and 7 probes prepared from single overlapping BAC and P1 clones lying telomeric to ERBB2 and including TOP2A were hybridized to 77 ERBB2-amplified archival breast tumor specimens from 75 patients.

Nurse-administered propofol sedation without anesthesia specialists in 9152 endoscopic cases in an ambulatory surgery center.

Narcotics and benzodiazepines are commonly used for sedation for endoscopy in the United States. Propofol has certain advantages over narcotics and benzodiazepines, but its use is often controlled by anesthesia specialists. This report describes our experience with dosage, safety, patient satisfaction, and discharge time with nurse-administered propofol sedation in 9152 endoscopic cases.

Detection of chromosomal instability in paired breast surgery and ductal lavage specimens by interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization.

Purpose: Ductal lavage is a new modality for collecting exfoliated breast cells with the goal of detecting early neoplasia. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the correlation between cancer-associated abnormalities in breast lesions and exfoliated breast cells collected by ductal lavage.

Experimental Design: We performed histopathologic, cytologic, and molecular cytogenetic analyses on 39 paired cases of surgically excised breast lesions and ductal lavage specimens collected immediately before surgery.

A fluorescence in situ hybridization-based assay for improved detection of lung cancer cells in bronchial washing specimens.

Background: Interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is a powerful tool for detecting chromosome and locus-specific changes in tumor cells. We developed a FISH-based assay to detect genetic changes in bronchial washing specimens of lung carcinoma patients.

Methods: The assay uses a mixture of fluorescently labeled probes to the centromeric region of chromosome 1 and to the 5p15, 8q24 (site of the c-myc gene), and 7p12 (site of the EGFR gene) loci to assess cells in bronchial washing specimens for chromosomal abnormalities indicative of lung carcinoma.

Amplification and overexpression of topoisomerase IIalpha predict response to anthracycline-based therapy in locally advanced breast cancer.

Purpose: The putative association between erbB-2 overexpression and favorable response to anthracyline-based therapy in breast cancer is controversial, and the mechanism unclear. We sought to determine whether coamplification and overexpression of the topoisomerase IIalpha gene, near erbB-2 on chromosome 17, and a known anthracycline target, may underlie the association.

Experimental Design: Thirty-five patients who had locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) and who had received neoadjuvant, anthracycline-based therapy were studied.