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Objectives Frozen section (FS) is a technique widely used intraoperatively to render a preliminary histopathologic diagnosis, allowing for immediate decisions at the time of surgery. We aimed to investigate potential variations in tissue antigenicity induced by rapid freezing in a variety of gynecologic tumor samples. Methods A total of 177 FS and 177 non–frozen section (NFS) tissue slides were tested using a panel of immunostains commonly used in gynecologic pathology, including hormone receptors (estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor), HER2, mismatch repair proteins (MSH6, PMS2), programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1), p53, napsin A, and ɑ-methylacyl coenzyme-A racemase. Immunohistochemistry results were categorized as positive or negative, and positive cases were subsequently scored based on the distribution and intensity of the staining. Certain immunostains, such as HER2, PD-L1, and p53, were scored according to the established guidelines. Results The overall concordance between FS and NFS blocks was 87%; among the 13% of discrepant cases, most (10.7%) were classified as minor, with only quantitative differences without foreseeable clinical significance. In 2.3% of cases, there were major qualitative changes with potential impact on disease management. Conclusions We concluded that FS tissue blocks may, in most cases, safely be used for immunohistochemical studies because most discrepant cases showed only minor differences in staining, with no anticipated clinical significance. Nevertheless, for certain markers, including HER2, p53, and PMS2, a NFS block is preferred when that option is available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article, published in the British Journal of Dermatology, discusses the expression of interleukin-17A (IL-17A) in cutaneous sarcoidosis. Sarcoidosis is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects multiple organs, with cutaneous lesions occurring in 30% of individuals. The study evaluated the presence of IL-17A in biopsies of cutaneous sarcoidosis and found that all 26 cases of sarcoidosis stained positively for IL-17A within the granulomatous inflammation in the dermis. IL-17A is a proinflammatory cytokine that plays a role in various autoimmune conditions, and the findings suggest that IL-17A may serve as a key mediator of inflammation in sarcoidosis. Further research is needed to explore the therapeutic benefit of anti-IL-17A agents in individuals with sarcoidosis. The study was supported by a research grant from Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. [Extracted from the article]

A waiting period of 1 day or longer for a pathologic diagnosis following any surgical procedure is customary. (1,2) Patient anxiety, the delay to plan or institute treatment, and other [...], * Context.--Current conventional tissue-processing methods employ fixation of tissues with neutral buffered formalin, dehydration with alcohol, and clearing with xylene before paraffin impregnation. Because the time required for this procedure is usually 8 hours or longer, it is customary to process tissues in automated instruments throughout the night. Although this time-honored method continues to serve histology laboratories well, it has a number of shortcomings, such as a 1-day delay of diagnosis, the need to batch specimens, the relatively large volumes and toxicity of reagents used, and the extent of RNA degradation. Objective.--To describe a rapid new method of tissue processing using a continuous-throughput technique. Design.--We used a combination of common histologic reagents, excluding formalin and xylene, as well as microwave energy, to develop a rapid processing method. The effect of this method on the quality of histomorphology, histochemistry, immunohistochemistry, and RNA content of processed tissue was compared with that of adjacent tissue sections processed by the conventional processing technique. We also assessed the impact of this rapid processing system on our practice by comparing the turnaround times of surgical pathology reports before and after its implementation. Results.--The new processing method permitted preparation of paraffin blocks from fresh or prefixed tissue in about 1 hour. The procedure allowed continuous flow of specimens at 15-minute intervals. It eliminated the use of formalin and xylene in the processing and used considerably lower volumes of other chemical reagents. Histomorphologic, histochemical, and immunohistochemical results were comparable to the parallel sections prepared by the conventional method. The new technique, however, preserved higher quality RNA. Use of the new methodology led to the diagnosis and reporting of more than one third of surgical pathology specimens on the same day that they were received, as compared to 1% of same-day reporting before the implementation of the rapid processing system. Conclusion.--The quality of hematoxylin-eosin, histochemical, and immunohistochemical tissue sections provided by the new system is comparable to that obtained following the conventional processing method. The new system preserves RNA better than the conventional method. It also shortens the processing time to about 1 hour from the receipt of fresh or prefixed tissue, eliminates the need for formalin and xylene, and reduces the volume of other chemicals. Most importantly, it impacts overall patient management by allowing for considerably shorter turnaround times for completion of surgical pathology reports.