Quantitation of FISH Signals in Archival Tumors

The term interphase cytogenetics was first used in 1986 by Cremer (1,2) to describe detection of chromosomal alterations using in situ techniques in interphase nuclei. This was a distinct advantage over conventional analyses as solid tumors could now be studied (2,3) and the possibility of applying the technique to specimens received in a diagnostic laboratory realised (4). The nonradioactive in situ method, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), has been widely applied to study chromosomal rearrangements, malignancies, and chromosome mapping (4).