p53 Antigen Loss in Stored Paraffin Slides

Abstract

To the Editor: Immunohistochemical techniques are commonly used to detect antigens of therapeutic or prognostic importance in patients with cancer. Some technical problems in their use are well recognized, such as antigen masking by fixatives.1 We recently encountered another potential problem — antigen loss in slides stored at room temperature. While studying p53 gene expression in breast cancers using immunohistochemical analysis of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections, we observed diminished reactivity over time on our p53-positive control slides. These slides had been cut from a paraffin block containing a p53-positive breast cancer and stored at room temperature for up to two months. © 1995, Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.