Comparative analysis of various standard immunohistochemical techniques

Immunohistochemical staining techniques, such as the APAAP, ABC, EnVision a nd ImmunoMax methods, play a leading role in the search to solve the questi ons arising in clinical diagnosis. With the increase in number of technique s for diagnostic examination, the sarch for suitable method is becoming mor e and more important. The goal of this study was to compare these different treatments with regard to sensitivity and specificity. Furthermore,an anal ysis of time and cost was made. The primary antibodies used were CD20, CD30 and IgM, as well as receptor antibodies estrogen and progesterone. The var iable costs of each technique were calculated based on selected examples. T he APAAP method required the most time and was, at the same time, by far th e most expensive treatment. The EnVision method required the least time and showed very good staining results, which were comparable to those of the A BC and ImmunoMax techniques. The staining costs could be reduced by about 9 5% and the staining intensity improved substantially by using expensive rec eptor antibodies in combination with the Immune-Max method. This study illustrates the importance of knowing different examination tech niques, as well as the costs arising by their usage.