RESUMO
PURPOSES: The objectives of this study were to investigate the prevalence of HER-2/neu oncogene amplification by differential polymerase chain reaction and to examine whether HER-2/neu oncogene overamplification has any prognostic significance in advanced epithelial ovarial cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population comprised thirty patients with stage III or IV epithelial ovarian cancer who were managed at Asan Medical Center between January 1994 and December 1996. Fresh frozen tumor samples of primary lesion were analysed by differential polymerase chain reaction to assess amplification of HER-2/neu oncogene. The correlation between HER-2/neu oncogene overamplification and histologic subtype or tumor grade or serum CA 125 level after second chemotherapy were evaluated using chi-square test, and for survival analysis, Kaplan-Meier curves were plotted and the differences between the curves were tested for significance using Log-rank test. RESULTS: HER-2/neu oncogene was amplified in all of the cases (100% 30/30), but significant overamplification [gene copy number > or =1.5 a.u.(arbitrary unit)] was observed in 46.7% (14/30). There was no significant correlation between HER-2/neu oncogene overamplification and histologic subtype or tumor grade or serum CA 125 level after second chemotherapy and there was no correlation between HER-2/neu oncogene overamplification and overall survival. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of HER-2/neu oncogene overamplification is 46.7%, but it may not be a significant prognostic factor in advanced epithelial ovarian cancers.