[Histonet] Sentinel nodes

[peptolab]

Diane- I am assuming that the clinicians there use standard methods. Are
they asking for frozen sections? The radiation level in the tracer material
is very low and just holding it at arm's length reduces the danger to
nothing.   Just leave the fiing  specimens in a lead box or a drawer
overnight for some radioactive decay, wherupon it can be grossed and treated
like any other tissue. The levels in the nodes is negligible, in the excised
tumor or injection site it will be higher. You can decay the injection site
pecimens for48 hours.  The radiology report will tell you the precise
radionuclide they are using. Get your hospital  safety officer involved if
you cannot get sufficient information to write an institution specific
protocol.

Regarding the setions:
If  it is melanoma, prepare three H and E and one each for negative control,
HMB-45 and MART- 1 and maybe one for tyrosinase. S-100 is useless because
Langerhans histiocytes in the lymph nde sinuses are S-100 positive.

If it is for breast cancer, three H and E levels and one each for negative
control and cytokeratin.

Hope this helps.
Jeff Silverman, Pathologists' Assistant
Southside Hospital
Bay Shore, New York USA