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Updated: May 28, 2026
Building Up a High-throughput Screening Platform to Assess the Heterogeneity of HER2 Gene Amplification in Breast Cancers
Published on: December 5, 2017
Detection of HER2 and Topo 2 in breast cancers: comparison between MLPA and FISH approaches
Sara Bravaccini1, Claudia Rengucci, Laura Medri
1Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori (I.R.S.T.), Meldola, Italy. s.bravaccini@irst.emr.it
Abstract:
A significant proportion of breast cancers with HER2 amplification show simultaneous amplification or deletion of Topo 2. Amplification of Topo 2 may lead to the overexpression of the Topo 2 protein and ultimately to hypersensitivity to Topo 2 inhibitors. HER2 and Topo 2 gene status in breast cancer patients has been determined in several studies using immunohistochemistry, florescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA). Although comparisons of FISH and MLPA have been reported for HER2, it is believed that there are no similar studies for Topo 2. In this study, HER2 and Topo 2 were analysed by MLPA and FISH. There was a high agreement between the two approaches, although MLPA was easier to perform and cheaper than FISH. In conclusion, MLPA is a fast and accurate quantitative method to detect HER2 and Topo 2 amplification, and could be considered a good alternative to FISH.
Insights
Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) accurately detects HER2 and Topo 2 gene amplification in breast cancer. This method is a faster and more cost-effective alternative to fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- HER2 amplification in breast cancer often co-occurs with Topo 2 gene alterations.
- Topo 2 amplification may increase sensitivity to Topo 2 inhibitors.
- Accurate gene status determination is crucial for targeted therapies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for analyzing HER2 and Topo 2 gene status in breast cancer.
- To evaluate MLPA as a potential alternative to FISH for Topo 2 analysis.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of HER2 and Topo 2 gene amplification in breast cancer samples using both MLPA and FISH.
- Comparison of results obtained from MLPA and FISH.
Main Results:
- High agreement was observed between MLPA and FISH for both HER2 and Topo 2 gene analysis.
- MLPA demonstrated to be easier to perform and more cost-effective than FISH.
- MLPA provides accurate quantitative data for gene amplification detection.
Conclusions:
- MLPA is a rapid, accurate, and quantitative method for detecting HER2 and Topo 2 amplification in breast cancer.
- MLPA presents a viable and advantageous alternative to FISH for routine clinical use.
