What are the applications of IHC?

IHC is widely used by healthcare providers in a wide range of applications including but not limited to: 

• Diagnosing a condition: Healthcare providers use immunohistochemistry to diagnose conditions such as cancer, differentiate between different types of cancers, and identify the origins of metastatic cancer. IHC can also be used to diagnose other conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and muscular dystrophy. 
• Determining prognosis: IHC helps in evaluating the aggressiveness and risk level of cancers, aiding in staging and grading the cancer. These details help healthcare providers in determining optimal treatment strategies. 
• Predicting treatment response: Immunohistochemistry enables the identification of tumor tissue characteristics that provide insights into treatment responsiveness. For instance, pathologists can discern whether the presence of hormones such as testosterone or estrogen can affect the growth of breast or prostate cancers. This knowledge directs healthcare professionals towards cancer treatments based on hormone therapy, which involves blocking the relevant hormones. 
• Monitoring treatment response: An IHC enables ongoing monitoring and assessment of treatment effectiveness in eliminating the disease from the body. 
• Developing new drug treatments: Researchers utilize IHC extensively to study the working mechanism of the smallest parts of the body such as the cells and molecules within them. This analysis sheds light on different disease mechanisms and how they affect these cellular and molecular processes. The insights gleaned through these observations guides researchers toward developing more effective and targeted drug treatments.