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DNA amplification of HER-2/neu and INT-2 oncogenes in epithelial ovarian cancer
M Medl1, P Sevelda, K Czerwenka
1Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Lainz Medical Center, Vienna, Austria.
Objective:
Oncogene alterations are thought to be prognostic indices in patients with breast cancer. The present study was carried out to investigate the amplification of the HER-2/neu and INT-2 oncogenes in ovarian cancer.
Methods:
In a retrospective study of 196 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer, the amplification of the oncogenes HER-2/neu and INT-2 in the DNA of paraffin-embedded tumor cells was determined by quantitative PCR. The purpose of this study was to analyze whether the two oncogenes correlated with such predictive factors as FIGO stage, histological grade, ascites, postoperative residual tumor mass, hormone receptor content, and preoperative CA 125 serum levels. The effect of HER-2/neu and INT-2 amplification on patient survival was also studied.
Results:
The only correlation found in this study was between INT-2 and preoperative CA 125 levels (P = 0.03). No correlations were demonstrable between HER-2/neu (log-rank test; P = 0.67) and INT-2 (log-rank test; P = 0.75) amplifications and overall survival.
Conclusion:
Unlike the established prognostic factors, neither HER-2/neu nor INT-2 appears to be predictive for survival in patients with ovarian cancer.