ZytoLight ® SPEC MYC/CDKN2A/ERBB2/ZNF217 Quadruple Color Probe

 The ZytoLight ® SPEC MYC/CDKN2A/ ERBB2/ZNF217 Quadruple Color Probe is designed for the simultaneous detection of the MYC (a.k.a. CMYC), CDKN2A (a.k.a. p16), ERBB2 (a.k.a. HER2), and ZNF217 gene copy number status. Barrett‘s esophagus (BE), a preneoplastic condition in which the squamous epithelium of the distal esophagus undergoes transformation to intestinal metaplasia, is considered a precursor for the development of adenocarcinoma. The evolution of cancer from BE includes the following stages: metaplasia, low-grade dysplasia, high-grade dysplasia (HGD), and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA). EA has a poor prognosis unless detected and treated at its earliest stages. It is believed that the progression of normal squamous epithelium to EA in patients with BE results from the accumulation of genetic alterations including, e.g., CDKN2A loss or gain of the MYC, ERBB2, or ZNF217 gene locus. Hence, detection of these aberrations may provide useful information on disease progression. Moreover, allelic loss of CDKN2A was shown to result in decreased response to photodynamic therapy in patients with HGD and EA. In addition, detection of ERBB2 amplifications may help in selecting patients eligible for an ERBB2 targeted therapy such as trastuzumab.