HER-2/neu and p53 in Osteosarcoma: An Immunohistochemical and Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization Analysis

James Y. Tsai, Hana Aviv, Joseph Benevenia, Victor T. Chang, Francis Patterson, Seena Aisner, Meera Hameed

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The overexpression of HER-2/neu and p53 has been associated with poor outcome in many neoplasms. Their role in patients with osteosarcoma is unclear. We studied the expression of HER-2/neu and p53 in 22 osteosarcoma samples (from 20 patients-2 had locally recurrent disease) biopsied at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) from 1996-2000 using both immunohistochemical (IHC) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis. Fourteen patients (14 samples) presented with Stage II and 6 patients (8 samples) presented with Stage III disease. Median follow-up is two years (range one year to five years). Four of 22 (18%) samples showed focal membranous or cytoplasmic positivity for HER-2/neu and six of 22 samples (27%) showed nuclear positivity for p53 by IHC analysis. In contrast, none of 22 tested samples showed gene amplification for HER-2/neu by FISH analysis. Seven of 13 HER-2/neu and p53 negative patients (54%) are currently disease free (between one year to five years). In this sample of patients, the HER-2/neu oncogene is not overexpressed or amplified in osteosarcoma; six of 22 samples (27%) showed overexpression of p53 by IHC analysis. By FISH, none of the samples demonstrated deletion of p53. Neither HER2/neu nor p53 expression was important for the biology of osteosarcoma in this population.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)16-24
Number of pages9
JournalCancer Investigation
Volume22
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2004
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • Oncology
  • Cancer Research

Keywords

  • FISH
  • Fluorescent in situ hybridization
  • HER-2/neu
  • IHC
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Osteosarcoma
  • p53

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