Interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis: a study using centromeric probes 7, 8, and 12

Interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (I-FISH) is a useful technique for detecting chromosomal numerical abnormalities in tumors and is gaining acceptance as a tool in cytogenetics and clinical diagnoses. Performance and quality control information about commercial products are necessary in order to implement an individual FISH probe as a routine clinical laboratory test. Interphase FISH analysis was performed with three commercially available alpha-satellite chromosome-specific DNA centromeric probes (D7Z1/D7Z2; D8Z2; and D12Z3) on bone marrow material prepared for conventional cytogenetic analysis. The results were interpreted following enumeration of the signals in 500 interphase nuclei each by two different observers. A mean of 93.92 percent (+/- 1.3 percent, 1 SD) was found for chromosome 7; a mean of 93.91 percent (+/- 1.5 percent, 1 SD) was found for chromosome 8, and a mean of 92.85 percent (+/- 1.4 percent, 1 SD) was found for chromosome 12. The results of the study demonstrated that I-FISH using chromosome centromeric probe(s) is a reliable, reproducible, and accurate technique. This technique can be integrated into routine clinical practice with proper quality control protocols.