Detection of chromosomal abnormalities associated with prognosis of non small cell lung cancer

A method of predicting disease outcome in a patient being treated for lung cancer, from a biological sample from the patient, the method comprising:

• contacting the sample with two or more fluorescent probes, each fluorescent probe targeting a different chromosome subregion, wherein the chromosome subregion is selected from the group consisting of:
• 1p13.3, 11q13.1, 17q25.1, 2q24.2, 2q33.3, 6p21.2, and 12p13.3;
• incubating the two or more fluorescent probes with the sample under conditions in which each fluorescent probe binds selectively with a polynucleotide sequence on its target chromosomal subregion to form a stable hybridization complex;
• detecting hybridization of the two or more fluorescent probes, wherein a hybridization pattern showing at least one gain at a chromosomal subregion targeted by the fluorescent probes is indicative of increased risk of poor disease outcome in the patient when compared to a baseline measure of disease outcome in patients having no gain at the two or more chromosomal subregions targeted by the two or more fluorescent probes;
• and
• administering a therapy to the patient that is indicated as having increased risk of poor disease outcome, wherein the patient that is indicated as having increased risk of poor disease outcome is treated post-resection with adjuvant chemotherapy or treated before the resection using neoadjuvant chemotherapy,
• wherein the biological sample comprises a tumor sample,
• wherein the cancer is stage I-II non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and
• wherein the method is carried out by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with a fluorescent microscope or flow cytometer.