SUPPLEMENTARY
EXAMINATIONS
After the initial examination and diagnosis of a tissue as neoplastic, the anatomic pathologist can and often is required (based on the medical literature) to recommend and have additional tests carried out.
This is done to obtain more information about the tumour which cannot be determined by routine examination (normal histological examination).
Normal histological examination is often followed, supported and supplemented by specialised methods such as:
- Immunohistochemistry
- Histochemistry
- Molecular Biology
Various combinations of the above and/or further methods are often -and to an increasing degree- required based on modern diagnostic practices.
It is important to understand that in most situations the type and number of supplementary tests required to complete examination of the case is not known before the anatomic pathologist examines the initial sections from the specimen and ascertains the need to apply supplementary techniques, to which internal quality control procedures are applied by evaluating critical quality and performance indicators.
Immunohistochemistry
Immunohistochemistry is a supplementary examination which reflexively follows a preliminary diagnosis. It is primarily used to identify proteins within tumour cells, allowing precise diagnosis of the type of tumour, such as melanoma or specific lymphomas. It can also be used to identify specific micro-organisms such as HPV and other viruses. Immunohistochemistry is also used to determine the potential effectiveness of a targeted therapy.
ISTODIEREVNITIKI has a wide range of antibodies it can use to validate or differentially diagnose the tumours it diagnoses on a daily basis.
