Quantitative Immunohistology: Problems and Solutions

As immunohistochemistry enters its fourth decade as a diagnostic tool, this analytical procedure continues to experience poor reproducibility, albeit in specific situations. The problem becomes more important with the mounting pressure to employ the assay in a quantitative manner for the assessment of therapeutic and prognostic markers in a number of neoplasms. Qualitative applications of immunohistochemistry are well established and continue to increase with the range of sensitive antibodies and detection systems available, however, numerous variables that influence the immunoexpression of proteins in formalin-fixed tissue continue to exist in the pre-analytical and analytical phases of the test procedure. This book emphasizes these problems in detail and suggests possible solutions.
Contents

Introduction
The immunohistological assay -- a total test approach
Pre-analytical variables: tissue preservation, transportation, fixation &
tissue processing
Analytical variables -- antigen retrieval, antibodies, detection systems &
controls
Post-analytical phase
Receptor detection for targeted therapies
Interobserver variability in quantitative immunohistology
Conclusion
Index