Clinical situations where flow cytometry is helpful

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Clinical situations where flow cytometry is
helpful

• Unexplained cytopenias
• Presence of blasts / atypical cells in blood,
  marrow or other fluids
• Lymphadenopathy / splenomegaly
• Any extranodal mass suspected to be lymphoma
• Lymphocytosis
• Monocytosis
• Unexplained plasmacytosis
• Monoclonal gammopathies
• Worsening of chronic leukemias or myelodysplasias
  (NOT very useful in CML in chronic phase)
• Staging for non-Hodgkins lymphoma (NOT useful in
  uncomplicated Hodgkins)
• Monitoring of treatment

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USEFULNESS OF MODERN DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES IN
HEMATOLYMPHOID NEOPLASIA DISEASE Microsc
IH FCM CG/ FISH PCR Acute leuk.
/- MPD/MDS
/- /- /- Chr.Lymp.Dis.
/- /-
Myeloma
/- /- NHL
/- Hodgkins
- - - Min. disease

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MODERN DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES METHOD
COST T- A-TIME SENSIT. () SAMPLE Microscopy
Low minutes (smears) 5 Fresh,
frozen 18 hr (tissues) or
fixed tissue Immuno-histol. Medium-
6-24 hr 0.1-1 Fresh, frozen
high or fixed tissue Flow
cytometry High 3-8 hr 0.1-1 Fresh
viable tissues or
cells Cytogenetics High 2-10 days 1-5
Fresh viable cells
capable of
division F.I.S.H. Low-medium 18 hr
1-5 Fresh tissues
or ce lls PCR Low 24 hr
0.001-1 Any sample