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Immunohistochemistry
Make it clearer
Immunohistochemistry uses antibodies to find specific molecules, called antigens or markers, in tissue. Picture placing keys made for particular locks onto a map of cells: where a key fits, color or fluorescence leaves a signal at that location.
A pathologist does not read that signal alone. Its location, intensity, controls, and the tissue's appearance all matter. A marker can help classify a finding, but by itself it does not always determine a diagnosis.
In brief
Immunohistochemistry is a laboratory method that uses antibodies to detect antigens, also called markers, in a tissue section. It preserves the marker's location in relation to individual cells and the surrounding tissue architecture.
The antibody binds its target, and an enzyme-based or fluorescent system turns that binding into a visible, localized signal. Interpretation combines the staining pattern, intensity, controls, and tissue morphology; a single antibody is not an infallible diagnostic label.
Sources (2)
- National Cancer InstituteDefinition of immunohistochemistry
- PubMed Central, U.S. National Library of MedicineAn Introduction to the Performance of Immunohistochemistry
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated