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Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Integration of Wet and Dry Bench Processes Optimizes Targeted Next-generation Sequencing of Low-quality and Low-quantity Tumor Biopsies
Published on: April 11, 2016
Be precise! The need to consider the mechanisms for CEP17 copy number changes in breast cancer
1Division of Pathology, European Institute of Oncology, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy. giuseppe.viale@ieo.it
Abstract:
A recent paper by Marchiò and colleagues indicated that true polysomy of chromosome 17 is rare and that coincident CEP 17 centromere amplification may account for its overestimation in FISH testing for HER2 amplification, with a treat/not treat decision as the final important readout. Here the importance of relating HER2 copy number to cell count rather than a ratio with CEP17 is emphasized. This is central to ensuring that all who may respond to potentially life-saving treatment with herceptin/lapatininib are not denied these drugs.
