Detection of allelic status of 1p and 19q by microsatellite-based PCR versus FISH: limitations and advantages in application to XXXX management.

@entity1 @entity5 @entity982 @entity4050 @entity463 @entity3271
Combined loss of chromosome @entity4050 and 19q in @entity5 has become a powerful predictor of prognosis and treatment response, and hence clinical testing for their detection is widely used nowadays. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analysis and fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) are the 2 important relatively common clinical molecular diagnostic techniques used for this purpose and they have their unique advantages and limitations. The preference of methodology used depends on local expertise and existing laboratory capabilities. However, there is no consensus on which methodologic approach has a better potential. The objective of the study was to compare the accuracy, reliability, and feasibility of FISH and PCR in detecting the 1p and 19q LOH status. Using the PCR-based method, a LOH analysis was performed on 30 @entity3271 and 10 @entity463 using fresh-frozen tissue and peripheral blood as control. A FISH assay using @entity982 blocks was performed on all the cases. Concordance for 1p and 19q was found in 92.5% (37 of 40) and 82.5% (33 of 40) cases, respectively. The relative advantages and limitations of both the techniques are analyzed and discussed. The main issue pertains to the use of the best technique in large clinical trials whose results are translated to @entity1 care services. Unless the technique used is correct, the results of clinical trials and their correlations may be somewhat questionable.
