Specimen Requirements

Please review this reference guide for oncology/pathology specimen requirements.  This document serves as a general reference guide for minimum specimen requirements necessary for testing.  Test-specific requirements may differ.  Please refer to the test menu for detailed specimen requirements for individual tests.  

• All primary specimen containers must be labeled with two patient-specific identifiers at the time of collection. The identifiers must correspond to information on the patient’s test request form.
• Prepared slide(s) submitted to the laboratory with only one identifier must be securely submitted in a container labeled with two identifiers.  Each specimen must be clearly labeled with the patient’s first and last name as they appear on the test request form. The preferred second identifier is the date of birth.
• Close all primary specimen containers tightly
• Enclose completed paperwork

Specimen Delay/Rejection

Specimens can be delayed and/or rejected for the following reasons:

• Specimen is not labeled with required patient identifiers.
• There is a mismatch between the numbers on the requisition and on the specimen sent (i.e. blocks, slides, tubes).
• Specimen is received without a requisition.
• Tissue block is not processed correctly and reprocessing is required.

Shipping Information

Unsure where to send a specimen? Please call our Client Services Department: (800) 447-5816.

• In hot weather, enclose a refrigerated (not frozen) gel pack in shipper kit.
• In cold weather, run hot water over gel pack for 3-5 minutes and enclose in shipper kit.

Ship specimens in a timely manner based upon the test-specific requirements.