HER-2 oncogene is not amplified in primary carcinoma of the fallopian tube. Austrian Cooperative Study Group for Fallopian Tube Carcinoma.

73 women suffering from primary carcinoma of the fallopian tube underwent surgical excision of their tubes. The tissue was embedded in paraffin and investigated for HER-2 oncogene amplification with a quantitative polymerase chain reaction method. DNA could be extracted and successfully prepared in 65/73 samples. None of the tissue samples exhibited amplified the HER-2 oncogene. Data suggest that the HER-2 oncogene does not play a role in tumor transformation and progression in fallopian tube carcinomas. This contrasts with observations in ovarian carcinomas, with which fallopian tube carcinomas share many clinical, histological and biochemical similarities.