Getting controls under control: the time is now for immunohistochemistry.
For several decades, immunohistochemistry (IHC), more specifically diagnostic IHC (dIHC), has been considered an art rather than a laboratory test. There was no clarity about what test performance characteristics are relevant to dIHC, test performance characteristics were not fully defined for dIHC and partly as a consequence of that, there were no standardised controls or reference standards. Herein, we discuss the role of standardisation of external controls for test performance characteristics and the role of standardised controls and reference standards for overall standardisation of IHC.
Department of Laboratory Hematology, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Canadian Immunohistochemistry Quality Control (CIQC), Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Emina Emilia
EE
Torlakovic
Department of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Pathology, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark Nordic Immunohistochemical Quality Control (NordiQC), Aalborg, Denmark.
Søren
S
Nielsen
Department of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Pathology, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark Nordic Immunohistochemical Quality Control (NordiQC), Aalborg, Denmark.
Mogens
M
Vyberg
Department of Pathology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Clive R
CR
Taylor
D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D010338:Pathology, Clinical / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D012015:Reference Standards
IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY; IMMUNOPHENOTYPING; QUALITY CONTROL; STAINING