Contributions of immunohistochemical and molecular biological techniques to endocrine pathology

Histochemistry has played a major role in the development and implementation of new methods for analysis of gene expression at the cellular level. With the techniques of immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridization, the products of RNA translation as well as specific messenger RNAs and genomic DNAs can be demonstrated and can provide highly dynamic analyses of gene transcription and translation in individual cells. In endocrine pathology, these approaches have been particularly effective for correlation of functional abnormalities with the varying manifestations of disease at the cellular level. In addition, these methods have been valuable in the formulation of novel clinical and pathological concepts, and will continue to provide important tools for diagnostic and prognostic assessment of neoplastic and non-neoplastic disorders of the endocrine system.