Table 2

 Discrepant cases and impact on patient management

CaseSection ICCTMA
ICCFISH
RCSI mean score (score/core)UHW mean score (score/core)RCSIUHW mean grade (individual grades)Potential impact on decision to offer Herceptin treatment
*Although the RCSI results revealed no amplification by FISH the whole section score of 3+ and the amplification revealed by the Ventana probe meant that the patient would have been recommended for treatment, presumably inappropriately; †no patient impact at the RCSI but impact at the UHW. The UHW TMA ICC was non-contributory. The individual ICC scores for each core at the RCSI are of interest in terms of the absence of amplification determined at the UHW; ‡This is clearly a difficult case, where FISH testing produced a borderline result on two occasions at the RCSI. It is of interest that the 4 cores gave a score of 2+ by ICC. In both institutions the patient would have received Herceptin treatment.
ICC, immunocytochemistry; FISH, fluorescence in situ hybridisation; NT, no tumour remaining; RCSI, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland; TMA, tissue microarray; UHW, University Hospital of Wales.
72+1 (1, 1, 1, 1)2 (2, 2, 2, 2)1.590.75 (1, 1, 1, 0)None
323+1.5 (2, 2, 1, 1)1.75 (2, 2, 0, 2)0.941.75 (1, 2, 2, 2)*
342+0.3 (−, 0, 1, 0)0.75 (1, 1, 1, 0)0.850.67 (−, 1, 1, 0)None
523+1.25 (2, 2, 1, 0)NT (−, −, −, 0)3.011.5 (2, 2, 1, 1)
533+2 (2, 2, 2, 2)0.3 (−, 0, 0, 2)1.99 and 1.972 (2, 1, 3, 2)