A basic immunohistochemical panel for the diagnosis of soft tissue tumors

There is no universal immunohistochemical panel which would be useful for the diagnosis of soft tissue tumors in all circumstances. Nevertheless, especially when faced with an uncharacteristic spindle cell neoplasm, a basic immunohistochemical panel can be recommended consisting of CD34, desmin, epithelial membrane antigen, broad-spectrum cytokeratins, S100 protein and smooth muscle actin. This review will address the utility and pitfalls of this panel. The use of MDM2 immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization in the diagnosis of lipomatous tumors will be discussed as well.