title: Immunohistochemical performance of antibodies on previously frozen tissue.
abstract: Immunohistochemical stains are occasionally performed on paraffin-embedded, fixed material that was previously frozen, most frequently for an intraoperative frozen section diagnosis. A retrospective study comparing immunohistochemistry on previously frozen then fixed tissue with freshly fixed tissue was designed. Of 43 cases identified during the period 1994-1996 in which immunohistochemistry was performed on frozen section blocks, 19 met criteria for inclusion. Immunohistochemistry using antibodies to S-100, HMB-45, synaptophysin, chromogranin, neuron-specific enolase (NSE), neurofilament, glial fibrillary acidic protein, vimentin, and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was compared. Staining for cytokeratins was unchanged. Staining for S-100, HMB-45, synaptophysin, and NSE were negative in frozen/fixed tissue and positive in comparable fresh/fixed tissue in at least one case each. Chromogranin and CEA exhibited a significant decrease in the frozen/ fixed tissue. We conclude that caution must be exercised in interpreting immunohistochemical results using tissue that was frozen for intraoperative consultation before formalin fixation and paraffin embedding.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Edgerton
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: K T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Montone
mesh_terms: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000096:biosynthesis; D002864:Chromogranins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005615:Freezing; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D058950:Melanoma-Specific Antigens; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase / Q000096:biosynthesis; D009418:S100 Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D016708:Synaptophysin / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors; D014746:Vimentin / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D002864:Chromogranins; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D058950:Melanoma-Specific Antigens; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins; D009418:S100 Proteins; D016708:Synaptophysin; D014746:Vimentin; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase