24 - Molecular Anatomic Pathology: Principles, Techniques, and Application to Immunohistologic Diagnosis

Abstract

Immunohistochemistry is a common technique used for the detection of protein expression in various tissue samples. In modern pathology practice, this methodology is expanded and complemented by molecular techniques that test for changes in nucleic acids—in effect, DNA and RNA—to assist the immunohistologic diagnosis. Many of the chapters in this book refer to theranostic and genomic principles that can be investigated with immunohistology and used directly for patient care. The underpinning of these immunohistologic tests requires an understanding of the molecular abnormalities of these disease states and how molecular methods apply to their study. In addition, the molecular methods discussed here may be valuable in diagnosis when immunohistologic results are nonspecific or when immunohistochemistry is complemented by comprehensive genomic profiling.