[Histonet] Breast fixatives

[Patti Loykasek]

I understand the need for well-fixed & processed breast tissue. Also, there
is always the competing turn around time pressure. However, I would like to
toss in an observation about using alcoholic formalin. If you are planning
on doing Her2neu testing by IHC, the use of alcoholic formalin will
artificially increase the signal. Look carefully at the normal ducts in
breast tissue fixed with this method & you will usually see signal in the
normal ducts. Also, if you are running a FDA approved method, usually the
fixation method is specified & this may not conform with it.




Patti Loykasek BS, HTL, QIHC
PhenoPath Laboratories
Seattle, WA



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