A UK NEQAS ICC and ISH multicentre study using the Kreatech Poseidon HER2 FISH probe: intersite variation can be rigorously controlled using FISH

Histopathology. 2010 Feb;56(3):297-304. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2559.2010.03493.x.

Abstract

Aim: To assess a new HER2 fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) test and report on multicentre intrasite and intersite variation.

Methods and results: HER2 results were scored from 45 breast cancers in eight laboratories using the Kreatech Poseidon HER2 FISH probe (Kreatech Diagnostics, Amsterdam, the Netherlands). Overall, 80.9% of cores were successfully analysed. Mean intrasite variation for HER2 ratio assessment was low (4.74%). Intersite variation in ratio was in line with previous reports (11.9+/-0.8%) for both reference and non-reference laboratories; only one laboratory displayed significantly higher intersite variation (P=0.009) than the remaining seven laboratories. The overall incidence of misclassification of cores was <1.3%, demonstrating an excellent level of concordance (>98.7%) across all eight laboratories, irrespective of whether they were 'reference' or 'routine diagnostic' laboratories.

Conclusions: The Kreatech Poseidon HER2 FISH test is robust and reproducible. Highly quantitatively reproducible FISH results were obtained from eight 'diagnostic' and 'reference' laboratories; however, continued quality assessments are essential to good performance.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study

MeSH terms

  • Breast Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Profiling / methods
  • Gene Expression Profiling / standards*
  • Genes, erbB-2*
  • Humans
  • In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence / methods
  • In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence / standards*
  • Pathology, Clinical / methods
  • Pathology, Clinical / standards*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Tissue Array Analysis
  • United Kingdom