anti-Calcitonin-Related Polypeptide alpha (CALCA) antibody: Calcitonin is a 32 amino acid peptide which can be detected in C cells of the normal and hyperplastic thyroid. Staining of calcitonin may be used for the identification of C cell derived abnormalities ranging from C cell hyperplasia to invasive tumours. In medullary carcinoma of the thyroid calcitonin can be identified as a fine granular pattern in the cytoplasm. Amyloidal deposits in the tumour may also show varying amounts of calcitonin. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is a complex technique in which immunological and histological detection methods are combined. In general, the manipulation and processing of tissues before immunostaining, especially different types of tissue fixation and embedding, as well as the nature of the tissues themselves may cause inconsistent results (Nadji and Morales, 1983). Endogenous pseudoperoxidase and peroxidase activity or endogenous biotin and alkaline phosphatase activity can cause non-specific staining results depending on the detection system used. Tissues that contain Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) can produce false positives when using HRP detection systems (Omata et al, 1980). Insufficient contrast staining and/or improper mounting of the sample may influence the interpretation of results.
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