9-color and 10-color flow cytometry in the clinical laboratory.
BACKGROUND
The development of commercial flow cytometers capable of detecting more than 10 simultaneous fluorescent signals presents opportunities for improved diagnosis and monitoring of patients with leukemia and lymphoma.


OBJECTIVE
To describe instrument and reagent characteristics necessary for successful 9-color and 10-color flow cytometry in a clinical setting.


METHODS
Systematic review of issues related to instrument settings, reagent performance, and general principles of panel construction.


RESULTS
Nine-color and 10-color flow cytometry offers the possibility for increased accuracy in population identification, the ability to obtain detailed information from paucicellular specimens, improved laboratory efficiency, and the means to consistently detect abnormal populations at low levels. Careful attention to details of instrument and reagent performance allows for the development of panels suitable for screening of samples for leukemia and lymphoma in a clinical setting.


CONCLUSIONS
The characteristics of this technique are particularly well suited to the analysis of leukemia and lymphoma and have the potential to revolutionize and standardize this type of analysis in the clinical laboratory.
Wood
Brent
B
Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. woodbl@u.washington.edu