USE OF FLUORESCENT IN-SITU HYBRIDIZATION TO DETECT ANEUPLOIDY IN CERVICAL DYSPLASIA

Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) with alpha satellite DNA prob es for chromosomes 11 and X were applied to normal, atypical, and dysp lastic cervical-vaginal cytology smears to evaluate the detection of h yperploidy in suspected abnormal cells. Forty-six cases were obtained from fixed archival material. Fight cases with a morphological diagnos is of within normal limits (WNL) were directly selected to use as cont rols. The other 38 cases were blinded as study cases. These included f ive WNL, six ASCUS, six SIL-LG, 16 SIL-HG, four invasive squamous cell carcinomas, and one case of adenocarcinoma of the cervix. Cells with chromosome copy numbers suggesting hyperploidy (3-4 signals per chromo some specific probe) were found more often in higher grade dysplasia ( Bethesda class SIL-HG) cases and less often in lower grade lesions (SI L-LG). All cases morphologically diagnosed as WNL were found to have n ormal copy number except for one control case which was hyperploid and , upon reexamination of the original slides was upgraded from normal t o atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS). Our FI SH results are similar to those of previous studies involving flow cyt ometry and morphometric cytometry in which changes in ploidy correlate d with progression toward higher grade lesions. However, FISH with enu meration probes offers a higher resolution view of the genome than is possible with flow, cytometry or morphometry by allowing detection of specific chromosome changes in small numbers of affected cells in a ro utine cervical smear; and it may have the capacity, to detect those ca ses in which progression toward high grade dysplasias is more likely. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.