Related Experiment Video For FISH
Updated: Mar 29, 2026
Protocol for HER2 FISH Using a Non-cross-linking, Formalin-free Tissue Fixative to Combine Advantages of Cryo-preservation and Formalin Fixation
Published on: December 25, 2017
Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction is an alternative method for the detection of HER-2 amplification in
Tianjie Pu1, Peng Guo2, Yan Qiu1
1Laboratory of Pathology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University Sichuan, China ; Department of Pathology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University Sichuan, China.
Abstract:
Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) are the most common methods that are used to quantify HER-2 gene and protein levels, respectively, in human breast cancer. However, due to bad sample quality, some samples are unable to be subjected to a FISH assay. We evaluated 71 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) breast carcinoma specimens by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), IHC, and FISH. We also performed qPCR and FISH assays on delayed formalin-fixed (DDF) samples. The qPCR results were in complete concordance with the results of IHC and FISH. In regards to the DDF samples, the HER-2 fluorescent signal seemed decayed compared with that of the DDF samples after 1 h. However, the qPCR method still works well up to 12 hours. Our results indicated that qPCR was obviously superior to FISH in cases that were not fixed in a reasonable amount of time. However, qPCR can be an alternative method by which to perform HER2 amplification assays in breast cancer.
