Skip to main content
American College of Veterinary Surgeons Dr. Chris Wood BSc, DVM (Dist), MS
DACVS (Small Animal)

Immunohistochemistry map

Open original Anki image 1 of 1 for Immunohistochemistry map at full size
Read the draft explanation

Immunohistochemistry helps identify a tumour's lineage when morphology alone is unclear. Vimentin supports a mesenchymal phenotype, including soft tissue sarcoma, but it is not specific to sarcoma. KIT/CD117 expression is useful in mast cell tumours and gastrointestinal stromal tumours. CD3 supports T-cell lineage; CD79a supports B-cell lineage.

Keep Ki-67 separate from those lineage cues. In mast cell tumours it measures proliferation and contributes to prognostication. It is not a stain that establishes a mast cell tumour diagnosis by itself.

Interpret the panel alongside the tissue's morphology and clinical setting. Poorly differentiated tumours may lose marker expression.

References

Johnston & Tobias, Veterinary Surgery: Small Animal, 2nd ed., ch. 25, Table 25.1.

↑ Back to top