Immunocytochemistry: Technical Considerations Applied to Cytology

Technical considerations to guarantee the accuracy, quality, and reliability of immunocytochemical results are paramount. It is known that the quality of immunocytochemical staining depends on the preservation status of the antigen that is intimately related to the preparation procedures of the cytologic specimen. Furthermore, an adequate interpretation of the staining method depends not only on a good visualization of cytologic detail but also on the maintenance of antigenic structures. There is a high degree of variability in the preparation of cytologic specimens, as there are differences in the fixative used, time of fixation, and retrieval of masked antigens. Therefore, the different methods of collection, transport, and preparation of cytologic samples are described in this chapter. Moreover, we report the use of antigen retrieval methods on cytologic preparations before manual or automated system immunostaining.