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Identification of biomarkers in archival tissues using immunochemistry is becoming increasingly important for determining the diagnosis and prognosis of tumors, for characterizing preinvasive neoplastic changes in glandular tissues such as prostate, for evaluating the response of tumors and preinvasive neoplastic changes to certain therapies (i.e., as a surrogate intermediate end point), for selecting patients who are candidates for specific therapies (e.g., immunotherapy) and for retrospective studies. For detecting specific biomarkers it is important to understand the limitations imposed by the fixation methods and processing of the tissues. This study was designed to determine the effects of fixation on the detection in archival paraffin blocks of selected antigens postulated to be important in tumor biology. We evaluated the antigens TGF alpha, p185erbB-2, broad spectrum keratins, p53, and TAG-72 (B72.3). Fixatives evaluated included standard preparations of neutral buffered formalin, acid formalin, zinc formalin, alcoholic formalin, ethanol, methanol, and Bouin's fixative. We found that in general neutral buffered formalin is the poorest fixative for maintaining antigen recognition by immunohistochemistry and that no single fixative was best for all antigens. The dehydrating (coagulant) fixatives (e.g., ethanol and methanol) preserved immunorecognition of p53 and broad spectrum keratins best while the slow cross-linking fixatives (e.g., unbuffered zinc formalin) were best for demonstrating TGF alpha and p185erbB-2. Fixatives other than neutral buffered formalin produced equivalent recognition of the epitope of TAG-72 by B72.3. In formalin fixed archival tissues, only a portion of the antigen signal can be detected by routine immunohistologic methods.

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The variable quality of histochemical and immunohistochemical staining of tissues may be attributed to pre-analytical and analytical variables. Both categories of variables frequently are undefined or inadequately controlled during specimen collection and preparation. Pre-analytical variables may alter the molecular composition of tissues, which results in variable staining; such variations may cause problems when different tissues are used as staining controls. We developed a standard tissue for use as a staining control. Our standard tissue contains five components: 1) nine combined human cell lines mixed with stroma from human spleen; 2) a squamous cancer cell line, A431; 3) fungus; 4) transverse sections of the mosquitofish and 5) normal human spleen. The first three components were embedded in HistoGel™ and all components were processed to paraffin and used to construct a single standard paraffin block. The muscles of mosquitofish and arteries of the spleen are positive controls for eosin staining, while other tissues are useful for assessing hematoxylin staining. The mosquitofish tissues also are excellent controls for the Masson trichrome stain and all mucin-related histochemical stains that we tested. The goblet cells of the intestine and skin stained strongly with Alcian blue, pH 2.5 (AB-2.5), mucicarmine, colloidal iron, periodic acid Schiff (PAS) or PAS-hematoxylin (PASH) and combination stains such as colloidal iron-PASH. Cell lines were not useful for evaluating histochemical stains except for PASH. The splenic stroma was a useful control for AB-2.5; however, eosin and mucin stains stained cell lines poorly, probably due to their rapid growth and associated loss of some differentiated characteristics such as production of mucins. Nevertheless, the cell lines were a critical control for immunohistochemical stains. Immunostaining of specific cell lines was consistent with the presence of markers, e.g., EGFr in DU145 cells. The cell lines expressed a wide range of markers, so they were useful controls for immunohistochemcial staining including EGFr, HER2, E-cadherin, cytokeratins, Ki67, PCNA, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, CD3, CD20 and CD45, activated (cleaved) caspase 3 and Bcl-2. The cell lines also were a control for the TUNEL stain.