Rate of Immunohistochemistry Utilization in the Diagnosis of Cutaneous Melanocytic Lesions

Melanocytic lesions represent a large portion of the workload in many laboratories. Although many melanocytic nevi can be confidently diagnosed based on routine hematoxylin and eosin light microscopy, ancillary testing is often warranted. Various immunohistochemical (IHC) stains are routinely used in the diagnosis of melanocytic lesions. Because melanocytic lesions are frequently encountered in skin specimens, the use of IHC is likely to represent a significant area of resource utilization in dermatopathology laboratories. Our study investigates the rate of IHC utilization in the diagnosis of melanocytic lesions in a high-volume, government-funded, not-for-profit laboratory. Of the 1230 cases of melanocytic lesions investigated, including benign as well as malignant entities, 300 cases involved the utilization of IHC. IHC was used in a larger percentage of melanomas than nevi and in a larger percentage of melanoma in situ cases than invasive melanomas. SOX10 was overwhelmingly the most frequently used IHC.