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Prognostic significance of c-erb-B2 amplification in fine-needle biopsies of breast cancer patients not operated at diagnosis

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Abstract

Prognostication of breast cancer patients, not operated at diagnosis, poses a clinically difficult problem. To use gene amplification we examined cytological samples and determined c-erb-B2 gene copy number with semiquantitative PCR. Control experiments showed the same gene-copy number in aliquots that were either air-dried (and MGG-stained), fixed in methanol (and air-dried), or snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen. Therefore we examined the prognostic value of c-erb-B2 amplification in 95 breast cancer patients that had not been operated at diagnosis (up to 12 years previously). Tumor cells were obtained from routine archival cytological smears. 15 patients (16%) had developed amplification. Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that c-erb-B2 amplification is a significant prognostic factor (p < 0.0001). Hence routine cytological MGG smears can be used for prognostic determination.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Radiumhemmet, Karolinska Hospital, Karolinska Hospital, S-104 01, Stockholm, Sweden

    Ulf Lönn & Sigrid Lönn

  2. Department of Cancer Epidemiology, Karolinska Hospital, Karolinska Hospital, S-104 01, Stockholm, Sweden

    Bo Nilsson

  3. Division of Cytology, Department of Pathology, Karolinska Hospital, S-104 01, Stockholm, Sweden

    Björn Stenkvist

Authors
  1. Ulf Lönn
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  2. Sigrid Lönn
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  3. Bo Nilsson
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  4. Björn Stenkvist
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Lönn, U., Lönn, S., Nilsson, B. et al. Prognostic significance of c-erb-B2 amplification in fine-needle biopsies of breast cancer patients not operated at diagnosis. Breast Cancer Res Tr 39, 213–220 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01806188

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