Cultured anaplastic cell lines as immunocytochemistry controls: a comparison of ThinPrep-processed smears and conventional air-dried cytospins

Cultured anaplastic cell lines with previously characterized phenotypes are considered to be the best positive controls for immunocytochemistry. We assessed the validity of using anaplastic cell line cytospins as positive controls for immunocytochemistry performed on ThinPrep-processed clinical samples. We compared ThinPrep-processed slides and air-dried cytospins from cultured anaplastic cell lines for intensity and pattern of staining. Also, antigen preservation was assessed over a 3-mo period, using a panel of 16 primary antibodies and 12 anaplastic cell lines. A three-step alkaline phosphatase procedure was used except when in a single instance the EnVision method was employed. If appropriately stored, both preparations showed excellent correlation with no decrease in antigenicity during the 3-mo testing period. ThinPrep-processed slides from clinical samples are ideal for immunocytochemistry, because internal negative controls can be performed for each test. We recommend the use of cytospins for positive controls because of the lower cost.