Abstract
Cell block sections serve as an important diagnostic annex for cytological smears, liquid-based SurePath cytology and the Liquid-based Thin-prep Cytology Test (TCT). A variety of methods for the preparation of cell blocks are described in the literature and the techniques in cell blocks are in continuous improvement. A new technique for making cell blocks was introduced in the present study. We first used pregelatinized starch as the frame for the cell block, which is a really simple and economic method, because it can be carried out at room temperature without additional special instruments. We have performed hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, immunohistochemistry analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in the cell block sections in 122 cytological specimens. The results demonstrated in this article show that pregelatinized starch is a useful frame for cell blocks. The pregelatinized starch can effectively collect even a few cells with powerful adhesiveness. Therefore, this new technique for making cell blocks is especially useful for cytologic samples with low cellularity, such as cerebrospinal fluid specimens.
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Acknowledgments
We greatly acknowledge all pathologists and technicians in the pathology department of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of TCM, for their helpful discussions and useful suggestions on the new technique. We thank Dr. Carlos E.E. Aparicio M.D. for the editorial review of this paper.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare that Qing-Lian He is in the process of filing a patent application for findings described in this article.
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Qing-Lian He and Ya-Zhen Zhu contributed equally to this work.
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He, QL., Zhu, YZ., Zheng, GJ. et al. A new convenient technique for making cell blocks. Cell Tissue Res 350, 395–400 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-012-1467-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-012-1467-8