H&E to IHC virtual staining methods in breast cancer: an overview and benchmarking.

Klöckner, Pascal; Teixeira, José; Montezuma, Diana; Fraga, João; Horlings, Hugo M; Cardoso, Jaime S; Oliveira, Sara P · NPJ Digit Med · 2025

review · Level V

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Abstract

Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is crucial for the clinical categorisation of breast cancer cases. Deep generative models may offer a cost-effective alternative by virtually generating IHC images from hematoxylin and eosin samples. This review explores the state-of-the-art in virtual staining for breast cancer biomarkers (HER2, PgR, ER and Ki-67) and benchmarks several models on public datasets. It serves as a resource for researchers and clinicians interested in applying or developing virtual staining techniques.