Quality control in diagnostic immunohistochemistry: integrated on-slide positive controls

Area of Science:

• Pathology
• Laboratory Medicine
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Standardization and cost containment are critical in modern pathology.
• Routine positive controls are essential for validating immunohistochemistry (IHC) procedures.
• External positive controls can be costly and may not always be available for every slide.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a low-cost, integrated positive control method for immunohistochemistry.
• To utilize a punch biopsy (PB) tool for creating these controls.
• To assess the feasibility, reliability, and cost-effectiveness of the proposed technique.

Main Methods:

• Selected 16 frequently used control blocks.
• Obtained cylindrical samples using a 5-mm diameter punch biopsy tool.
• Re-embedded samples and integrated PB-control sections onto patient slides before immunostaining.

Main Results:

• Achieved a saving of 4.75% in total direct laboratory costs.
• Demonstrated technical feasibility and reliability of the integrated PB-control technique.
• Confirmed the method is easy to perform with readily available tools.

Conclusions:

• The integrated punch biopsy control method is a cost-effective and reliable approach for immunohistochemistry.
• This technique ensures a specific control is available for each slide, improving quality assurance.
• The method is accessible to all pathology laboratories, enhancing standardization and cost containment efforts.