Although immunostaining has become an integral and essential part of the diagnostic pathology of the skin, its uses, abuses, and limitations are not fully appreciated. In Practical Immunopathology of the Skin, Bruce R. Smoller, md, concisely reviews for practitioners and students alike the science of immunopathology, its many basic laboratory tools, and their multiple diagnostic uses in actual clinical case studies. The author presents in an easily digestible form a dictionary of antibody probes, summarizing for each antibody the targeted antigen and its cellular function, its diagnostic utility, and, when available, its sensitivities and specificities for identifying various neoplasms. The more specific technical aspects and the potentially confounding features of each antibody are also included, along with the author's personal experiences with them in the laboratory. Real clinical cases from the author's practice demonstrate the benefits of immunopathology. Each case offers a clinical history, photomicrographs from the first stained microscopic sections, a differential diagnosis based on the available information, a strategy in tabular form for solving the diagnostic dilemma, and a critical review of the results of that strategy.
User-friendly and highly instructive, Practical Immunopathology of the Skin provides today's dermatologist in training or active practice a working repertoire of useful antibodies and techniques for confidently solving both experimental and clinical diagnostic challenges.