[IHCRG] RE: [Histonet] batching controls

Tue Jan 11 14:43:31 CST 2011

Hadi makes an excellent point about different fixation times for patient specimens and tissue used for positive controls.  This is one reason why I don't want the positive control tissue on the patient slide because I frequently "personalize" the antigen retrieval for each tissue (longer antigen retrieval for positive control tissue; less for patient tissue).

Richard

Richard W. Cartun, MS, PhD
Director, Histology & Immunopathology
Director, Biospecimen Collection Programs
Assistant Director, Anatomic Pathology
Hartford Hospital
80 Seymour Street
Hartford, CT  06102
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>>> Hadi Yaziji <ancillarypath <@t> mac.com> 1/11/2011 2:07 PM >>>
As you guessed correctly, I wasn't referring to analytical conditions. Control tissues are often fixed at longer times than patient tissues. Secondly, the surface in the control tissue blocks is often oxidized. Also, when control slides are cut, some labs cut dozens of controls from the same block and store the slides.

All of these conditions make the control slides lose much of the sensitivity depending on the different parameters mentioned above. That is why in our consensus articles published in AIMM in 2007 and 2008, we insisted to put benign breast tissue in the same tumor section to make sure the "positive controls" are treated identically to the patient tissue. This is the only way to ensure the controls are treated the same way as patient tissue. What you correctly referred to is only a small part of the whole picture.

Hadi

On Jan 11, 2011, at 1:51 PM, Galbraith, Joe wrote:

> Hadi:
> 
> Just for clarification, the control is on the same slide as the patient so it is subjected to the same conditions as the patient (post sectioning).  The control block from which the control is cut is QA'ed against other known positive blocks prior to use as a control.  Thanks.
> 
> Joe
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ancillarypath <@t> mac.com [mailto:ancillarypath <@t> mac.com] 
> Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2011 12:09 PM
> To: Galbraith, Joe
> Cc: Rathborne, Toni; Laurie Colbert; Taylor, Jean; ihcrg <@t> googlegroups.com; histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu 
> Subject: Re: [IHCRG] RE: [Histonet] batching controls
> 
> This is the most cautious approach, and for antibodies where there is no internal controls that would be your only way to verify that the studies worked. But it's also associated with some unnecessary rejection of good studies because controls aren't treated the same way as the patient slides.
> 
> Good approach and we do it on our "technical-only" cases where the slides are returned to the outside pathologists for interpretation.
> 
> Hadi
> 
> On Jan 11, 2011, at 1:03 PM, Galbraith, Joe wrote:
> 
>> We run an appropriate positive control on every patient test slide to test that the antibody and all components used on that slide worked.  This may be overkill but it helps us ensure that each slide worked properly not just the run.  
>> 
>> Joe
>> joseph-galbraith <@t> uiowa.edu 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Rathborne, Toni
>> Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2011 11:44 AM
>> To: Laurie Colbert; Taylor, Jean; ihcrg <@t> googlegroups.com; histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu 
>> Subject: RE: [Histonet] batching controls
>> 
>> How does this work if you need to send the case out for a  consult and the control is on another patient's slide?
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu 
>> [mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu]On Behalf Of Laurie
>> Colbert
>> Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2011 12:39 PM
>> To: Taylor, Jean; ihcrg <@t> googlegroups.com;
>> histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu 
>> Subject: RE: [Histonet] batching controls
>> 
>> 
>> We batch our controls.  We still try to put the control tissue on a
>> patient slide, and then we reference that case that has the control on
>> the other cases that don't have a control.
>> 
>> Laurie Colbert
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu 
>> [mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Taylor,
>> Jean
>> Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2011 9:22 AM
>> To: 'ihcrg <@t> googlegroups.com'; 'histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu'
>> Subject: [Histonet] batching controls
>> 
>> Hi Everyone,
>> 
>> I'd like to know how many labs batch their controls when the same
>> antibody is ordered on multiple cases. Do you run the control on a
>> separate slide, or with one of the cases ordered?
>> 
>> Thank you!
>> 
>> Jean Taylor, HT(ASCP)QIHC
>> IHC Tech
>> Meriter Health Services
>> Madison, WI
>> 
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