Diagnostics (Jan 2021)

Immunohistochemical Biomarkers as a Surrogate of Molecular Analysis in Ovarian Carcinomas: A Review of the Literature

  • Giacomo Santandrea,
  • Simonetta Piana,
  • Riccardo Valli,
  • Magda Zanelli,
  • Elisa Gasparini,
  • Antonio De Leo,
  • Vincenzo Dario Mandato,
  • Andrea Palicelli

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics11020199
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 2
p. 199

Abstract

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The term “ovarian carcinoma” encompasses at least five different malignant neoplasms: high-grade serous carcinoma, low-grade serous carcinoma, endometrioid carcinoma, mucinous carcinoma, and clear cell carcinoma. These five histotypes demonstrated distinctive histological, molecular, and clinical features. The rise of novel target therapies and of a tailored oncological approach has demanded an integrated multidisciplinary approach in the setting of ovarian carcinoma. The need to implement a molecular-based classification in the worldwide diagnostic and therapeutic setting of ovarian cancer demanded a search for easy-to-use and cost-effective molecular-surrogate biomarkers, relying particularly on immunohistochemical analysis. The present review focuses on the role of immunohistochemistry as a surrogate of molecular analysis in the everyday diagnostic approach to ovarian carcinomas.

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