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Immunohistochemical Diagnosis in Surgical Pathology

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Essentials of Anatomic Pathology

Abstract

Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is now firmly established as an intrinsic and essential component of surgical pathology, especially with respect to the diagnosis and classification of tumors. While each and every chapter of this book, arranged by tissue and organ type, includes IHC as an intrinsic part of the diagnostic process, the present chapter looks at the obverse of the coin, focusing primarily on IHC. The first part of the chapter addresses sample preparation, reagents, and methodologic aspects of IHC, emphasizing the “total test” approach and the importance of sound technique throughout the whole procedure, coupled with proper controls for validation of outcome. The remainder of the chapter serves as a mirror or microcosm of the book as a whole, providing synopsis of the IHC features of the major common tumors for each tissue and organ type. Emphasis is given to those IHC stains that are key to the diagnosis and those that assist in discrimination of different tumor types, and tumor subclassification, with the use of panels and tabulated summaries. Prognostic and predictive markers are described only where usage is currently established. Illustrations are used liberally for the purpose of depicting cellular and subcellular localization where this contributes to the diagnosis. While the focus is on those tumors encountered most commonly in practice, rarer entities are described in those cases where IHC staining is key to the diagnosis.

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Klipfel, N., Simental-Pizarro, R., Taylor, C.R. (2011). Immunohistochemical Diagnosis in Surgical Pathology. In: Cheng, L., Bostwick, D. (eds) Essentials of Anatomic Pathology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6043-6_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6043-6_2

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