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Immunocytochemistry performed on the cell-transferred direct smears of the fine-needle aspirates: a comparison study

Howard H Wu1, Kelly J Jones, Harvey M Cramer

  • 1Dept of Pathology of Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, 350 W. 11th St, Room 4086, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA. hhwu@iupui.edu

American Journal of Clinical Pathology
|May 22, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Immunocytochemistry on cell-transferred cytologic smears from fine-needle aspiration is a reliable method. This technique provides results highly comparable to traditional formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue, especially when cell blocks are insufficient.

Area of Science:

  • Cytopathology
  • Surgical Pathology
  • Immunohistochemistry

Background:

  • Immunocytochemistry (ICC) on cell-transferred cytologic smears (CTCS) from fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is valuable when cell blocks are inadequate.
  • Direct comparison of ICC results from CTCS of FNA with formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue is not previously reported.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare ICC staining results from cell-transferred FNA smears with corresponding FFPE tissue.
  • To assess the reliability and comparability of ICC on CTCS of FNA.

Main Methods:

  • Applied 12 common ICC antibodies on 160 ethanol-fixed, Papanicolaou-stained smears from 42 FNA specimens.
  • Compared ICC staining results with those from corresponding FFPE tissue using the same antibody panel.
  • Evaluated specimen loss during processing.

Main Results:

  • Only 3 (1.9%) of 160 transferred materials were lost during processing.
  • 153 of 157 (97.5%) showed agreement between CTCS ICC and FFPE staining.
  • High concordance observed in both positive (78/81) and negative (75/76) staining cases.

Conclusions:

  • ICC on cell-transferred FNA smears is a reliable diagnostic method.
  • Staining results from CTCS of FNA are highly comparable to FFPE tissue.
  • This technique offers a viable alternative when FFPE material is limited.

Keywords:
Cell-transferCytologyFine-needle aspirationImmunocytochemistry

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