Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization Studies on Breast Tumor Samples for Distinguishing Between Different Subsets of Breast Cancer

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate fluorescence in situ hybridization for distinguishing between malignant and benign breast tumors and determining genetic subgroups of breast cancers. STUDY DESIGN: Touch preparations from 94 surgically removed breast tumors (17 benign and 77 malignant) were hybridized with a DNA probe specific for centromeric DNA sequences of chromosome 1. Twenty samples were additionally hybridized with a chromosome 9-specific probe.