Estrogen and progesterone hormone receptor status in breast carcinoma: Comparison of immunocytochemistry and immunohistochemistry

Abstract

Although Immunocytochemistry removes the derogatory step of antigen deterioration, technical errors can cause hindrance in achieving the best of the results.

Low concordance of biomarkers in histopathological and cytological material from breast cancer

“…Several authors have reported similar results previously, and Radhika et al . have shown a congruence of positive and negative cases as low as 50% for ER and 29% for PR …”

Optimization and validation of immunocytochemical detection of oestrogen receptors on cytospins prepared from fine needle aspiration (FNA) samples of breast cancer

“…The possibility of using routinely prepared direct smears for subsequent ICC staining is very important in cytopathology, especially in cases of very scarce FNA samples, or when the samples were not adequately prepared for immunocytochemistry at the time of performing FNA. Unfortunately, ICC assessment of ER status on direct smears showed the widest range of concordance with standard IHC assessment on FFPET, from 50% to up to 95% …”

“…According to published studies, FNA samples processed as cell blocks, direct smears, cytospins or liquid‐based cytology (LBC) are suitable for the immunocytochemical (ICC) assessment of ER status. However, the concordance between the results obtained on FNA samples and corresponding formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded tissue (FFPET) samples found in these studies varied from as low as 50% to up to 98% . Great variability in concordance, sample processing and slide preparation procedures, with multiple steps that can potentially affect the detection of ERs, makes any comparison and conclusion about the optimal method impossible.…”

Detection of circulating tumor cells in patients with breast cancer using the quantitative RT-PCR assay for monitoring of therapy efficacy

“…These systems include immunocytochemistry (ICC), immunofluorescence (IF), fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS), and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-based molecular assays. Most of these assays include a separation by size or biological characteristics, such as the expression of epithelial or cancer cell-specific markers (Moretti et al, 2013;Radhika et al, 2010;Swennenhuis et al, 2013;Van der Auwera et al, 2010). Only one system to detect CTCs in patients with metastatic cancers has been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA).…”