Blood samples - Chromosomes / Karyotype

  • Heparinised tube - inverted to mix at the point of sample collection.

  • Transport at room temperature (or refrigerated) to arrive within three days of collection.

  • Adults 2-5mls; Children 1-2mls; Fetal/Neonates 0.5-1ml.

  • Further information: urgent samples should arrive the same day e.g. Fetal/Neonatal samples and samples relating to an ongoing pregnancy.

  • Do not freeze samples.

Blood samples - Arrays

  • EDTA tube - inverted to mix at the point of sample collection (plus heparinised tube if also karyotyping, see above).

  • Transport at room temperature (or refrigerated) to arrive within three days of collection.

  • Volume: Adults 2-5mls; Children 1-2mls; Fetal/Neonates 0.5-1ml.

  • Further information: urgent samples should arrive the same day e.g. fetal/neonatal samples and samples relating to ongoing pregnancy.

  • Do not freeze samples

Buccal samples

  • Tissue Transport Medium and buccal brush (supplied by the lab)*. Store medium at -20 degrees centigrade. Please do not use after expiry date on the tube. Defrost medium thoroughly and mix well before adding sample.

  • Transport at room temperature (or refrigerated) to arrive within one day of collection (sample should be sent without delay as any delay may impact test performance).

  • Do not freeze samples.

Fetal Tissue samples / POC

  • Cord Blood - Paediatric Lithium Heparin (inverted to mix at the point of sample collection); Placenta - Tissue Transport Medium (supplied by the lab)*; Skin biopsy - Tissue Transport medium*; Spleen/other tissue - Tissue Transport medium.*

  • Tissue Transport Medium (supplied by the lab)*. Store medium at -20 degrees centigrade. Please do not use after expiry date on the tube. Defrost medium thoroughly and mix well before adding sample.

  • Transport at room temperature (or refrigerated) to arrive within one day of collection (sample should be sent without delay as any delay may impact test performance).

  • Volume: cord blood - 0.5-1ml; Placenta - 1 cubic cm, from near cord insertion site; Skin biopsy - full depth; Other tissue - 1 cubic cm.

  • Formalin fixed tissue is not suitable for cytogenetic investigations.

  • Do not freeze samples.

Skin biopsy sample (adult/child) - for DNA extraction and / or culturing

  • Tissue Transport Medium (supplied by the lab)*. Store medium at -20 degrees centigrade. Please do not use after expiry date on the tube. Defrost medium thoroughly and mix well before adding sample.

  • Transport at room temperature (or refrigerated) to arrive within one day of collection for culture and within three days of collection for DNA extraction.

  • Volume: full depth.

  • Do not freeze samples.

Bone Marrow Aspirate / Blood / Bone Marrow Trephine – karyotyping and FISH

  • Marrow Transport Medium (supplied by the lab)*. Store medium at -20 degrees centigrade. Please do not use after expiry date on the tube. Defrost medium thoroughly and mix well before and after adding sample. If not available, a heparinised tube can be used and should be mixed well after sample addition.

  • Transport at room temperature (or refrigerated) to arrive within one day of collection and must arrive by 4pm on a Friday (delay will lead to loss of malignant cells therefore the sample should be sent without delay).

  • Volume: amount depends on availability at sampling.

Further information: these samples must not be frozen. Do not expose to excessive heat.

Bone Marrow Aspirate - SNP Arrays

  • Bone marrow in EDTA; for paediatric cases, the sample is sent from the bed-side directly to the WMRGL, to arrive within two days of collection. Volume will depend on the availability at sampling.

  • Bone marrow in EDTA; for adult cases, the volume will depend on the availability at sampling. Transport to arrive within two days of collection.

  • Other specimen types can be sent for a HO SNP array e.g. peripheral blood or pleural effusion, if the disease burden/blast percentage is adequate.

Smear Slides of Blood or Bone Marrow

  • Slides need to be in a slide box and packaged with sufficient padding.

  • Transport at room temperature (or refrigerated) to arrive within two days of collection.

Pleural Effusion

  • Sterile container.

  • Transport at room temperature (or refrigerated) to arrive within one day of collection.

  • Volume: >1ml.

Cerebral Spinal Fluid

  • Sterile container.

  • Transport at room temperature (or refrigerated) to arrive within one day of collection.

  • Volume: >1ml.

Fixed tissue (FFPE) slides for FISH

  • Slides should be cut between 3 and 5µm and placed on positively charged slides with an associated H&E slide indicating the region of tumour to review, alongside an estimation of the percentage of tumour cells in the sample.

  • FFPE tissue sections must be packaged with sufficient padding.

  • Transport at room temperature.

Notes

*If the required medium is not available, there may be an alternative option which can be used. Please contact us for further advice.

Additional sample types may be accepted for analysis; for additional sample types please contact us to discuss specific specimen requirements prior to arranging specimen collection.