title: Micrometastasis Detection using Special Stains in Nodal Tissues of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma - A Histochemical Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Micrometastasis to the lymph node is an important prognostic factor in survival and recurrence and even in making critical decisions regarding postoperative radiation treatment. Methods like Immunohistochemistry (IHC), serial sectioning and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) are very sensitive; however, they are expensive and time consuming. Hence, there is a need for the detection of micrometastasis by method which is easily feasible and inexpensive.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study was undertaken to identify if special stains (Modified Papanicolaou stain and Ayoub Shklar stain) are valuable in detecting micrometastasis which are routinely missed in Haematoxylin and Eosin stain and also to compare their efficacy over Haematoxylin and Eosin stain in detection of metastatic tumour cells in non-metastatic lymph nodes.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study constituted a total of 300 histopathologically proven non metastatic lymph node sections. Other than Haematoxylin and Eosin stain, Modified Papanicalaou and Ayoub Shklar stain were used for identification of micrometastatic deposit.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Papanicolaou stain was the only stain useful in detecting micrometastasis which accounted to 7% of non metastatic lymph node sections used in our study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Papanicolaou stain has definitely proved valuable in detecting micrometastasis over routine Haematoxylin and Eosin and Ayoub Shklar stain with an added advantage of being economical, easily available and technique insensitive.
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Student, Department of Oral Pathology, SDM College of Dental Sciences and Hospital , Dharwad, Karnataka, India .
authors.forename: Wasim Raja
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Mumtaz
authors.affiliation: Professor, Department of Oral Pathology, SDM College of Dental Sciences and Hospital , Dharwad, Karnataka, India .
authors.forename: Veda
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hegde
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Student, Department of Oral Pathology, SDM College of Dental Sciences and Hospital , Dharwad, Karnataka, India .
authors.forename: Nikhil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yadav
keywords: Haematoxylin and Eosin stain; Lymph nodes; Metastasis; Papanicoloaou stain