The GLH can receive samples in the following formats:

1. Curls/scrolls
   • If the tumour cellularity of the whole section is >20% curls/scrolls of paraffin sections are acceptable. Please send in a sealed single-use microtube, either 1.5ml or 2ml. Ideally 5 sections of 10micron thickness should be submitted. 
   • Please do not send curls with an overall tumour cellularity of <20%; see section 2.

1. Slides
   • 5 sections of 10micron thickness on uncharged, unstained glass slides are required. 
   • The slides must be clearly labelled with the sample histology number and patient surname.
   • An H&E section at 4micron should be submitted with the unstained sections – this can be diagnostic H&E or an additional slide cut at the same time as the unstained sections. This slide should be submitted with the USS and the request form. 
   • The area of the tumour must be outlined on the H&E section with a permanent marker pen; this will allow microdissection if necessary. 
   • The marked H&E slide and FFPE unstained slides must have the histology number and patient surname clearly marked on the slides and must correspond to that on the request form. 
   • Sections should be dried prior to transfer to the hub lab.
   • Sections must NOT be baked onto slides. 
   • Please note that spare unstained slides sectioned previously should not be used for molecular analyses. 

All slides or microtubes should be labelled with the laboratory histology number and patient surname. Unstained slides should be air-dried before packaging for dispatch. As RNA integrity from FFPE sections has been observed to decrease over time when exposed to light and air, air-dried sections intended for RNA analysis may benefit from storage in a fridge if not dispatched promptly.

Samples that are referred for MLH1 promoter hypermethlyation as part of the Lynch pathway require a matched normal control sample to run alongside the tumour sample; please send 5ml blood in EDTA. If it is not possible to obtain a blood sample from the patient, please send material from one normal tissue block in addition to the material from the tumour block as either curls or slides as described above.

The sample should be submitted together with the GLH request form fully completed, and a copy of the pathology report if authorised. The transport of the sample and documentation should be via either tracked Royal Mail or other recognised courier services. For more information about sample requirements please view the SEGLH Tissue Management SOP.