Determination of HER2 gene status by fully automated fluorescence microscopy.

Objective: To examine fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in HER2 amplification in response rates to trastuzumab therapy and both taxane and anthracycline-based chemotherapy regimens.

Study Design: A total of 400 tumor sections were analyzed over an 8-month period. The sections were hybridized with probes for the HER2 gene and chromosome 17 centromere using standard FISH methods and analyzed on an automated fluorescence microscopy system.

DNA ploidy and cell cycle analysis in breast cancer.

During the past 10 years there has been considerable interest in the application of new technologies to identify human malignancy and predict disease outcome. Markers of cell proliferation and the technologies of flow cytometry and image analysis for the determination of DNA total content in human tumor cells have been studied in breast cancer for 20 years. In this review, the uses and limitations of these technologies for the determination of ploidy status are discussed.