Immunocytochemistry in Diagnostic Cytology

Immunocytochemistry is now a well-established tool for tumor typing in surgical pathology. However, in diagnostic cytology it has not yet been generally accepted. Koss (1990) says that “. . . the staining of cytologie preparations with a battery of antibodies to the various cell components or products is very costly and rarely rewarding,. . . the results of immunocytochemistry vary according to the batch of antibodies and the technical skills of the laboratories, the interpretation of the results is not always easy, and the problem with borderline positive stains is often perplexing.” Other authors (Chess and Hajdu 1986; van Flens et al. 1990; Mason and Bedrossian 1986), too, are not as enthusiastic as some of the pioneering cytolgists (Nadij 1980). Chess and Hajdu (1986) found only 63% positive reactions and 88% negative reactions to be in agreement with the cytologie diagnosis, Van Flens et al. (1990) estimated that immunocytochemistry contributed to diagnosis in about 50% of cases.