PROGNOSTIC-SIGNIFICANCE OF C-ERB-B2 AMPLIFICATION IN FINE-NEEDLE BIOPSIES OF BREAST-CANCER PATIENTS NOT OPERATED AT DIAGNOSIS

Prognostication of breast cancer patients, not operated at diagnosis, poses a clinically difficult problem. To use gene amplification we exa mined cytological samples and determined c-erb-B2 gene copy number wit h 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. There fore 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. Uni variate and multivariate analysis showed that c-erb-B2 amplification i s a significant prognostic factor (p < 0.0001). Hence routine cytologi cal MGG smears can be used for prognostic determination.