State of the Art and Science of Immunocytochemistry

Speaker: Irena Srebotnik Kirbiš

Immunocytochemistry (ICC) has become an indispensable ancillary method in a modern cytopathology for fine-tuning a diagnosis as well as for assessing prognostic and predictive markers. As shown by recent survey performed by European Federation of Cytology Societies (EFCS), ICC is extensively used in European cytology laboratories on a differently prepared and fixed cytology slides. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) cell blocks are regarded the optimal choice for ICC from QA/QC perspective, however low cellular cell blocks with insufficient cells are the main issue in a daily cytology practice as shown by the survey performed among European and USA laboratories. Other cytology slides are therefore vital to perform ICC on a limited and low cellular cytology samples. The basic requirements to assure reliable ICC results on non-FFPE cytology preparations are control slides prepared as the patient sample as well as optimization and validation of ICC protocols.