Numeric chromosome aberrations in prostate cancer detected by in situ hybridization

This retrospective study was designed to examine the applicability of in situ hybridization to the study of numeric chromosome aberrations in conventionally fixed, embedded tissue sections of human prostate cancers. By use of in situ hybridization with chromosome-specific DNA probes, the copy number of pericentromeric sequences on chromosomes 7, 11, 17 X, and Y was detected within interphase nuclei in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue specimens from 21 patients with adenocarcinoma of the prostate. The percentage of hyperdiploid cells (3 or more spots) was estimated by using light microscopy. The percentage of hyperdiploid cells for chromosomes 7 and 17 was highly correlated with increasing tumor Mostofi grade (P