Cytogenetics

Description: 
Patients with haematological disorders require an accurate diagnosis of their condition, which is assessed by morphology, immunophenotyping and cytogenetics. Different chromosomal abnormalities occur in patients with these diseases, and some abnormalities are very specific to certain disease types, such as the translocation t(15;17) in acute promyelocytic leukaemia, and the translocation t(8;14) in mature B cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Some abnormalities will indicate a good prognosis, whereas others will herald a poor prognosis. These parameters are important when tailoring treatment for the patient. Monitoring the patient following treatment and/or transplant is also essential in order to establish the extent of remission, both haematological and cytogenetic.
Department: 
Haematological Malignancy Diagnostic Service
Location: 
King's College Hospital
Sample type and Volume required: 
Bone marrow aspirate in specially provided transport medium (2 ml) or peripheral blood in a lithium heparin tube (5ml), (if blast cells are present in sufficient numbers) are the samples of choice. For patients with suspected lymphoma, a lymph node biopsy is preferable to be placed in the transport medium as above. For patients with suspected CLL, testing is usually preferred on a peripheral blood sample.
Turnaround time: 
AML, ALL, CML - within 3 working days MDS, MPD - within 5 working days CLL and lymphoma – within 8 working days Myelomas – within 10 to 15 working days
Criteria for acceptance / rejections of sample
Storage and transport: 
Ideally, the sample should arrive in the laboratory the same day as sampling occurs to prevent loss of viability. However, if a delay is anticipated in transportation, the samples should be stored in the fridge at 4°C. Alternatively, first class post is also accepted for samples which have a long distance to travel.
Cost: 
Please contact Business Development for pricing enquiries
Time limit for extra tests: 
2 weeks
Contacts:
SE-HMDS Department at King's College Hospital
020 3299 9000 ext 32414
c/o Central Specimen Reception
Blood Sciences Laboratory
Ground Floor Bessemer Wing
King’s College Hospital
Denmark Hill
London SE5 9RS
Mon-Fri, 9.00am-5.30pm
For clinical advice or interpretation of results, please contact the laboratory in the first instance.
Laboratory: 
SE-HMDS Cytogenetics Laboratory at King's

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Last updated: 07/08/2015