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Immunocytochemistry on frozen-embedded cell block for the diagnosis of hematolymphoid cytology specimen: a straightforward alternative to the conventional cell block

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A Correction to this article was published on 04 January 2024

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Abstract

Agarose-based cell block (CB) technique can be modified to be combined with the frozen section technique for the preparation of a high-quality frozen-embedded CB (F-CB) from an effusion or fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology sample. This combined technique can be effectively used for the immunocharacterization of the hematolymphoid cells on F-CB. To demonstrate the applicability of performing diagnostic ICC on F-CB, we have analyzed the immunophenotype of the hematolymphoid cells in a series of eight cases of effusions and eight cases of FNA cytology specimens by using CB-ICC on sections cut from frozen-embedded CBs. The SurePathTM residue or cytologic material scraped off from the FNA cytology smear that was diagnostic for or suspicious of hematolymphoid malignancy was pelleted and pre-embedded in agarose. Half of the agarose-embedded pellet was frozen-embedded in OCT compound for the preparation of F-CB, while the other half was processed for the preparation of paraffin-embedded CB. Sections cut from the F-CB and P-CB were used for CB-ICC. Panels of ICC on the F-CBs could enable the immunocytochemical differential diagnosis of large cell hematologic malignancies that encompass anaplastic large cell lymphoma and other forms of large-cell hematolymphoid malignancies such as large B-cell lymphomas, anaplastic plasma cell myeloma, myeloid sarcoma, and T-lymphoblastic lymphoma. It also appeared that the small B-cell lymphomas in the effusions or FNAs could be differentially diagnosed with the aid of CB-ICC on the F-CB. A modified agarose-based CB technique can be combined with the frozen-embedded CB method for the preparation of F-CB that can be directly used for the immunocytochemical differential diagnosis of hematolymphoid cytology samples.

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Funding

This research was supported by a grant of the Korea Health Technology R&D Project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), funded by the Ministry of Health & Welfare, Republic of Korea (grant number HI20C1488).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, Inha University Hospital, 27, Inhang-ro, Jung-gu, Incheon, 22332, Republic of Korea

    Youjeong Seo, Lucia Kim, Jee Young Han, Joon Mee Kim & Suk Jin Choi

  2. Department of Medicine, Inha University Graduate School, Incheon, Korea

    Youjeong Seo, Sanzida Alam Prome, Lucia Kim, Jee Young Han, Joon Mee Kim & Suk Jin Choi

  3. Department of Pathology, Inha University College of Medicine, Incheon, Korea

    Youjeong Seo, Lucia Kim, Jee Young Han, Joon Mee Kim & Suk Jin Choi

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  1. Youjeong Seo
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Correspondence to Suk Jin Choi.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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The original online version of this article was revised: In this article, the labels of Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 were incorrectly displayed. Given below are the correct figures.

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Seo, Y., Prome, S.A., Kim, L. et al. Immunocytochemistry on frozen-embedded cell block for the diagnosis of hematolymphoid cytology specimen: a straightforward alternative to the conventional cell block. J Hematopathol 17, 1–15 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12308-023-00569-0

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