FLUORESCENCE IN-SITU HYBRIDIZATION - POWERFUL MOLECULAR TOOL FOR CANCER PROGNOSIS

We review several aspects of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technology that demonstrate its breadth and power in detecting and mo nitoring genetic abnormalities associated with cancers. The clinical u tility of FISH in disease management is demonstrated in several exampl es, including trisomy 8 detection with high specificity and sensitivit y in patients with myeloid leukemias; trisomy 12 detection with higher efficiency than conventional cytogenetics in patients with chronic ly mphocytic leukemia; assessment of engraftment success, chimerism, and relapse in opposite sex bone marrow transplantation; and correlation o f trisomy 7 with survival time in patients with prostate tumors. Advan ces in FISH technology include multicolor analyses, which permit the s imultaneous detection of several genetic abnormalities by using cohybr idization of probes labeled with several fluorescent labels or label c ombinations, and comparative genomic hybridization, a relatively new m ethod whereby a single hybridization can reveal aberrations across the entire genome.