Determination of HER2 gene amplification by fluorescence in situ hybridization and concordance with the clinical trials immunohistochemical assay in women with metastatic breast cancer evaluated for treatment with trastuzumab.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the concordance between HER2 gene amplification, determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and HER2 protein overexpression assessed by an immunohistochemical (IHC) assay. The IHC protocol used was a research assay, known as the Clinical Trial Assay (CTA), developed to select women with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) for three pivotal clinical trials of trastuzumab therapy. METHODS: A direct-labeled, dual-probe FISH assay was used to determine HER2 amplification in 623 fixed breast cancer tissue specimens. These specimens had been stored as paraffin-embedded sections for 25 years. All specimens had been analyzed for HER2 protein expression by the CTA. To assess the reproducibility of FISH results in archived material, we evaluated a separate group of 617 breast cancer tissue specimens at two different laboratories. RESULTS: Informative FISH results were available for 529 (85%) of the 623 specimens. Overall concordance between FISH and IHC results was 82% (95% CI; 7885%). Assay agreement between FISH results and specimens with immunostaining scores of 0, 1+, and 3+ were 97, 93 and 89%, respectively. However, only 24% of specimens with 2+ immunostaining scores had HER2 amplification by FISH; there was assay disagreement in 76% of specimens in this IHC subgroup. Interlaboratory FISH concordance was 92% (95% CI; 8994%), indicating very good assay reproducibility in these archived specimens. CONCLUSION: HER2 status determined by CTA-IHC and FISH are significantly correlated; however, differences between these two assays can a ect patient selection for trastuzumab therapy.

The VIVA trial: Vascular endothelial growth factor in Ischemia for Vascular Angiogenesis.

BACKGROUND: Recombinant human vascular endothelial growth factor protein (rhVEGF) stimulates angiogenesis in animal models and was well tolerated in Phase I clinical trials. VIVA (Vascular endothelial growth factor in Ischemia for Vascular Angiogenesis) is a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of intracoronary and intravenous infusions of rhVEGF. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 178 patients with stable exertional angina, unsuitable for standard revascularization, were randomized to receive placebo, low-dose rhVEGF (17 ng x kg(-1) x min(-1)), or high-dose rhVEGF (50 ng x kg(-1) x min(-1)) by intracoronary infusion on day 0, followed by intravenous infusions on days 3, 6, and 9. Exercise treadmill tests, angina class, and quality of life assessments were performed at baseline, day 60, and day 120. Myocardial perfusion imaging was performed at baseline and day 60. At day 60, the change in exercise treadmill test (ETT) time from baseline was not different between groups (placebo, +48 seconds; low dose, +30 seconds; high dose, +30 seconds). Angina class and quality of life were significantly improved within each group, with no difference between groups. By day 120, placebo-treated patients demonstrated reduced benefit in all three measures, with no significant difference compared with low-dose rhVEGF. In contrast, high-dose rhVEGF resulted in significant improvement in angina class (P=0.05) and nonsignificant trends in ETT time (P=0.15) and angina frequency (P=0.09) as compared with placebo. CONCLUSIONS: rhVEGF seems to be safe and well tolerated. rhVEGF offered no improvement beyond placebo in all measurements by day 60. By day 120, high-dose rhVEGF resulted in significant improvement in angina and favorable trends in ETT time and angina frequency.