Multi-target interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization assay increases sensitivity of sputum cytology as a predictor of lung cancer

• Published in: Cancer detection and prevention Vol. 28; no. 4; pp. 244 - 251
• Main Authors: Varella-Garcia, Marileila, Kittelson, John, Schulte, Aline P., Vu, Kieu O., Wolf, Holly J., Zeng, Chan, Hirsch, Fred R., Byers, Tim, Kennedy, Tim, Miller, York E., Keith, Robert L., Franklin, Wilbur A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2004; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Cancer; Case-control; Case-Control Studies; Chromosomal Instability; Chromosome Aberrations; DNA methylation; Epidemiology; Female; Humans; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; Lung cancer; Lung Neoplasms - diagnosis; Lung Neoplasms - pathology; Male; Middle Aged; Molecular cytogenetics; Mortality; Multicolor FISH; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive; Risk Assessment; Sensitivity and Specificity; Smoking; Sputum; Studies; United States > US; Molecular cytogenetics; Risk assessment; Multicolor FISH; Case-control
• ISSN: 0361-090X; 1877-7821; 1873-443X; 1877-783X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cdp.2004.04.007

Survival rates for lung cancer are low because patients have disseminated disease at diagnosis; therefore tests for early diagnosis are highly desirable. This pilot study investigated occurrence of chromosomal aneusomy in sputum from a 33 case-control cohort matched on age, gender, and date of sample collection. Subjects had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and ≥30 pack-years of tobacco use, and aneusomy was tested using a multi-target DNA FISH assay (LAVysion, Abbott/Vysis). In specimens collected within 12 months of lung cancer diagnosis, abnormality was more frequent among the 18 cases (41%) than the 17 controls (6%; P = 0.04). Aneusomy had no significant association with cytologic atypia, which might indicate that molecular and morphological changes could be independent markers of tumorigenesis. Combining both tests, abnormality was found in 83% of the cases and 20% of the controls ( P = 0.0004) suggesting that FISH may improve the sensitivity of cytologic atypia as a predictor of lung cancer.