Samreen Fathima and Michael A. Linden address some of the common pitfalls when using multicolor flow cytometry in the evaluation of lymphoproliferative disorders in blood and marrow. Ahead of their session at the ASCP Annual Meeting, they preview some of the practical strategies they will be sharing to improve diagnostic accuracy in this area.
The following transcript has been edited for clarity.
Samreen Fathima: Hi everyone, I'm Samreen Fathima. I'm an assistant professor in hematopathology at the University of Minnesota.
Michael Linden: And I'm Michael Linden. I'm Director of Hematopathology at the University of Minnesota. We're excited to invite you to join us at the ASCP annual meeting for our session on practical flow cytometry to evaluate lymphoproliferative disorders of the blood and marrow.
Samreen Fathima: Flow cytometry is such an important part of hematopathology. But sometimes the challenging part isn't knowing which markers to use. It's knowing how to interpret the patterns and recognize what is truly abnormal.
Michael Linden: Exactly. And that's what we want to focus on in this session. We'll take a practical approach to flow cytometry and discuss how to recognize normal maturational patterns, identify variances, and use those findings to support a meaningful diagnosis.
Samreen Fathima: One of the major takeaways will be understanding what normal looks like first. Once you understand the normal antigen expression and maturation, it becomes much easier to recognize subtle abnormalities.
Michael Linden: And we'll also talk about something we encounter frequently in practice. Not every abnormal looking antigen expression is diagnostic by itself. The key is recognizing patterns and integrating the flow findings with morphology, clinical information, and laboratory studies.
Samreen Fathima: We'll use practical examples to highlight some of these concepts and discuss approaches that can be applied directly to everyday cases.
Michael Linden: Our goal is for you to leave the session with a more structured way to approach flow cytometry. Whether you're just getting started in your career or you're looking to refine your interpretation skills.
Samreen Fathima: So if you use flow cytometry in your practice and you're interested in improving your understanding of hematologic neoplasms…
Michael Linden: …we'd love to have you join us in Montréal.
Samreen Fathima: Come learn with us, discuss challenging cases, and hopefully take away a few practical tips that you can use when you're back at your microscope and the flow workstation.
Michael Linden: We look forward to seeing you at the ASCP.
Samreen Fathima: See you there.
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