[Histonet] ALK Positive lung slides

[Mark Tarango]

Hi Jill,

Have you tried using cases that you've already sent out to other labs and
they've reported as ALK-positive?  That is how we validated this assay in
my lab.  Most cases aren't "very" positive (you only have to find 15 cells
out of a hundred that you count to call the case positive if a second
observer agrees).  You're supposed to look around for positive cells using
your dual green/red filter.  Since most tumor cells show a fused yellow or
adjacent red & green signals, you really do have to look around for them a
little.  Because of that, I'd suggest doing the validation with cases that
have a range of % of positve cells.  If another lab calls a case positive
at 25% positive cells then you'd want to get that result too most of the
time.

That being said, I can send you some de-identified slides from a case of
metastatic (to a node) NSCLC that is "super" positive.  I do think it is
helpful to see what a case with a very high % of positive cells look
like.  This is what we're using as our positive control.  We think it's
better to have a tissue control than the cell cultured cells, processed
into cell blocks, that are on the slides sold by Abbott.  Send me your
address and fedex # if interested.

Mark


On Fri, Nov 2, 2012 at 9:20 AM, Johns, Jill <jjohns3 <@t> cpallab.com> wrote:

> Does anybody have any lung tissue slides that are known to be positive for
> the ALK gene rearrangement or know of a source to obtain them? We are
> trying to validate this FISH assay are having a very difficult time finding
> any positive specimens (we have Abbott's positive control slides, but they
> do not look like "real" tissue specimens)....Thanks!!
>
> Jill A. Johns, MT(ASCP)SH, QCym, CCy
> Manager of Flow Cytometry and Molecular Diagnostics
> Central PA Alliance Laboratory (CPAL)
> 1803 Mt. Rose Ave., Suite C3/C4
> York,  PA    17403
> phone: (717) 851-4320
> fax:  (717) 851-1450
> email:  jjohns3 <@t> cpallab.com<mailto:jjohns3 <@t> cpallab.com>
>
>
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