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Abstract

Objectives: To determine the impact of formalin fixation period and fixative concentration on the expression of immunohistochemical markers for accurate immunohistochemistry assessment, a systematic review of the literature was conducted. Methods: A systematic search of 15 papers was conducted to find information on how tissue fixation affected the examination of the expression of various immunohistchemical markers. Results: Effects of fixation on the staining of several immunohistchemical markers were described in fifteen papers. Nine articles examined the impact of various fixation intervals on the expression of markers. Six articles looked at the impact of varying formalin concentrations and fixation times. Conclusions: The influence of fixation period and formaldehyde concentration on tissue morphology has been the subject of studies covered in the current review. The origin and the location of the analyzed tissue may be responsible for the variations in results between the research presented in this article. Additionally, the development of new immunohistochemistry methods throughout time may have an impact on the reported variations in results.

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