General Guidelines
Federal law and good medical practice require pertinent information to be included with all submissions as follows:

• Label each container or slide with patient’s name, physician’s name and source of specimen. Client account number should also be included. Complete a Test Request form and send with specimen.
• Use block print.
• Include all pertinent clinical information, including patient’s age, sex, clinical impression, anatomical location of tissue and ICD9 diagnosis code.
• Provide all billing information, including ordering physician's name and UPIN and third party or patient billing data.

Blood and Bone Marrow

• Collect whole blood specimens in EDTA, Heparin or ACD vacutainer tubes.
• Do not dilute bone marrow aspirate specimens with peripheral blood.
• Maintain at room temperature.
• Do not refrigerate.
• Deliver specimens to the laboratory within 24 hours.
• Obtain and transport Monday through Friday only.
• Provide the following information on the Anatomic Pathology test request form: Patient name, sex and age, Patient Social Security or Identification number, Collection time, Collection date, Sample origin or location, Ordering physician.
• Send 1 or 2 unstained, air-dried blood or bone marrow smears.

Lymph Nodes

• Lymph nodes for same-day delivery should be kept at room temperature and submitted wrapped in sterile gauze moistened with sterile saline.
• Lymph nodes for next-day delivery or longer should be submitted intact suspended in 25 mL of RPMI 1640 or SMEM supplemented with 100 mcg/mL gentamicin.
• These specimens should be refrigerated.
• Media is available upon request from Client Services.
• A 1 cm≈ piece of tissue is optimal. Less tissue may result in a limited analysis.
• If a full consultation is requested, submit one of the following:
  • A large piece of tissue (2 cm≈) to allow a portion to be processed for routine histology OR
  • Histological sections and paraffin tissue block (B5, formalin fixative preferred).
  • Indicate that slides / blocks will accompany the flow specimen on the requisition.

Solid Tumors

Specimen Rejection Criteria for Flow Cytometry Samples

Client Services will notify the ordering facility or healthcare provider of any test cancellations. In addition to the causes listed under Specimen Rejection Criteria (General Guidelines), other causes for cancellation of flow cytometry include: