The potential value of immunoperoxidase techniques in diagnostic cytology.

A slightly modified immunoperoxidase method was developed in our laboratory and applied to a variety of aspiration and exfoliative cytologic material. Our aims were: (1) to explore the applicability of the immunoperoxidase procedure to diagnostic cytology, (2) to attempt to define the histogenesis of neoplastic cells when morphology alone proved insufficient, and (3) to investigate the possibility of differentiating reactive from neoplastic lymphoreticular disorders by studying their immunoglobulin patterns. Our findings indicate that the immunoperoxidase technique is applicable to cytologic material. The simplicity of the procedure, combined with its high sensitivity and excellent morphology, merits wider application of this technique to routine diagnostic cytology.