title: Indications and pitfalls of immunohistochemistry in head and neck cancer.
abstract: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) has been employed in the differential diagnosis of tumors.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the use of IHC in cases of head and neck tumor.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a retrospective study of the cases included in the Cancer Registry of the institution.
  
  
  RESULTS
  IHC was used in 76 (11%) of 704 pathology tests. Most cases were carcinomas (85.80%), and 83.66% of them were squamous cell carcinomas. All tests were done with diagnostic purposes. The most frequently used antibodies were 34BE12 (37.18%), AE1/AE3 (35.9%), 35BH11 (28.21%), CD45 (25.64%), CD20 (24.36%), CD30 (24.36%), CK7 (23.08%) and CD3 (23.08%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IHC was used in 10.67% of the head and neck tumor cases submitted to pathology testing, mostly for carcinoma (5.26%). In the determination of squamous cell carcinoma, IHC accounted for 18.42% of all tumors.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Heliópolis, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Décio de Natale
authors.initials: Dde N
authors.lastname: Caly
authors.forename: Acklei
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Viana
authors.forename: Abrão
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rapoport
authors.forename: Rogério Aparecido
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Dedivitis
authors.forename: Otávio Alberto
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Curioni
authors.forename: Cláudio Roberto
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Cernea
authors.forename: Lenine Garcia
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Brandão
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000737:chemistry / Q000175:diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor