Useful immunohistochemical stains
| Specificity of monoclonal antibody (or polyclonal antiserum) | Condition or circumstance in which immunohistochemical stain is useful |
|---|---|
| MGUS, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. | |
| CD3, CD1a, CD5, CD8 | Detection of T cells and T cell subsets (note: CD5 is also expressed on some B cells and B cell neoplasms and CD1a on Langherhan's cells) |
| CD20, CD79a, CD10, CD23 | Detection of B cells and B cell subsets |
| Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) | Detection of immature cells in most acute lymphoblastic and some acute myeloid leukaemias |
| CD34 | Detection of immature cells in acute and chronic leukaemias and some cases of myelodysplastic syndrome (also useful for accentuation of vessels) |
| Myeloperoxidase, neutrophil elastase, CD68 | Detection of granulocytic and monocytic differentiation |
| Glycophorin | Detection of erythroid cells |
| CD61 or von Willebrand's factor | Detection of megakaryocytes |
| Light chains (κ or λ) | Detection of isotype restriction (and therefore probably monoclonality) in multiple myeloma, MGUS, lymphoplasmacytoid lymphoma, and amyloidosis |
| CD15 | Confirmation of Reed-Sternberg and mononuclear Hodgkin's cells |
| CD30 | Detection of infiltration by anaplastic large cell lymphoma and Reed-Sternberg and mononuclear Hodgkin's cells |
| CD31 | Endothelial cells (macrophages, monocytes, megakaryocytes, and plasma cells are also positive) |
| Cyclin D1 | Detection of mantle cell lymphoma |
| ALK1 | Detection of anaplastic large cell lymphoma |
| Epithelial membrane antigen | Detection of infiltration by carcinoma cells or anaplastic large cell lymphoma |
| Cytokeratin, prostate specific antigen, prostatic acid phosphatase | Diagnosis of infiltration by carcinoma cells |
| CD1a | Diagnosis of Langherhan's cell histiocytosis |
| Mast cell tryptase | Detection of mast cells and diagnosis of systemic mastocytosis |
| HMB45 and melan A (S100 less specific) | Melanoma |
| Vimentin, desmin, actin, myoglobin, chromogranin A, protein gene product 9.5, neurone specific enolase | Differential diagnosis of small cell tumours of childhood |