Abstract
Generally, laboratorial processes are subdivided into three sequential stages: pre-analysis (encompassing the collection, transport, and specimen storage), analytic (laboratory processing itself), and post-analysis (encompassing the interpretation of the results and the expert’s opinion). Regarding the pathological anatomy, material’s fixation in formalin is the main pre-analysis step, as the specimen disposed in formalin and paraffin included is the universal standard of tissue processing to undergo histopathological analysis. The proper fixation enables the architectural preservation of the cytological characteristics of tissues, crucial to the adequate morphological diagnosis, and consists in the standard preparation of the tissues for immunohistochemical (IHQ) analysis and other techniques such as hybridization in situ (HIS).
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Hammond ME, Hayes DF, Dowsett M, Allred DC, Hagerty KL, Badve S, et al. American Society of Clinical Oncology/College of American Pathologists guideline recommendations for immunohistochemical testing of estrogen and progesterone receptors in breast cancer. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2010;134(7):e48–72. Following published guideline regarding the HER2 article, this study discusses the aspects related to ER and PR immunohistochemistry. The ideal cold ischemia time-lapse (maximum of 1 hour) is described in this article, but is not mentioned in the HER2 article.
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de Nigro Corpa, M.V., Geyer, F.C. (2019). Handling of Surgical Specimen. In: Novita, G., Frasson, A., Millen, E., Zerwes, F., Cavalcante, F. (eds) Breast Diseases. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13636-9_34
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13636-9_34
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