Immunohistochemistry in the pathologic diagnosis and management of thyroid neoplasms

Abstract

The use of immunohistochemistry cannot be underestimated in the everyday practice of thyroid pathology. It has evolved over the years beyond the traditional confirmation of thyroid origin to molecular profiling and the prediction of clinical behavior. In addition, immunohistochemistry has served to implement changes in the current thyroid tumor classification scheme. It is prudent to perform a panel of immunostains, and the immunoprofile should be interpreted in light of the cytologic and architectural features. Immunohistochemistry can also be easily performed in the limited cellularity specimen preparation generated from thyroid fine-needle aspiration and core biopsy; however, it will require laboratory validation of immunostains specific to these preparations to avoid diagnostic pitfalls. This review discusses the application of immunohistochemistry in thyroid pathology with a focus on limited cellularity preparations.

A Comprehensive Review and Insights into the New Entity of Differentiated High-Grade Thyroid Carcinoma

“…Ki-67 is one of the commonly used IHC markers to detect cell proliferation and growth in neuroendocrine neoplasm. It originally came from the protein product of the gene MK167 [ 38 ]. Beyond necrosis and mitosis, the role of Ki-67 has been a longstanding topic of discussion in the field of thyroid carcinoma.…”

Appropriate and mindful measurement of serum calcitonin in patients with thyroid nodules. A white paper

“…Anyway, both Ctn measurement in needle washout and calcium-stimulated serum Ctn have not fixed thresholds to be used and require to develop an institutional cut-off [ 15 , 21 , 22 ]. In addition to these two major tools in this context, immunocytochemistry examination for Ctn can be performed on cytological smears [ 25 ], and other serum markers can be tested to refine the risk of MTC [ 26 , 27 ]. The role of imaging procedures other than neck US in low-stage MTC has not been fully explored [ 9 ].…”

Primary Thyroid Lymphoma: How Molecular Biology and Ancillary Techniques Can Help the Cytopathologist Overcome This Diagnostic Challenge

“…In fact, on one hand, the micro-histologic examination detects nuclear changes, architectural alterations of follicular structures, and pathologic relations between adjacent tissues; on the other hand, the paraffin core sections permit automated immunostaining with high reproducibility [ 14 ]. The reproducibility and standardization of the reaction product are usually developed for immunohistochemistry (IHC) on histological sections, whereas dedicated recommendations and practice paradigms are still lacking for cytological samples (conventional smears, thin layer cytology, and cell blocks) [ 15 ].…”