BACKGROUND The National Cancer Institute has recommended a bone marrow biopsy length of >/=20 mm for the staging and surveillance of patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. However, there are few published data to support this recommendation, particularly the role of examining multiple levels. PATIENTS AND METHODS Bone marrow biopsies from 172 patients with newly diagnosed diffuse large cell ly...

Failure to obtain sufficient material from marrow aspiration (dry tap) posed a diagnostic problem in two patients with pancytopenia. By using collagenase digestion of the trephine biopsy specimen, a precise diagnosis was reached. This technique is very useful because it permits flow cytometric and immunocytochemical analyses of cell suspensions obtained after collagenase digestion of the trephi...

Aim-To develop methods of messenger RNA (mRNA) in situ hybridisation (ISH) for use with routinely processed bone marrow trephine biopsy specimens, decalcified using formic acid, and long term cultures in order to demonstrate sites of synthesis of mRNA encoding monocyte colony stimulating factor (M-CSF).Methods-Biotinylated oligonucleotide probes, directed against target sequences within M-CSF m...

AIMS To establish criteria of adequacy for bone marrow trephine biopsy specimens and to audit the quality of trephines performed at the Christie Hospital, Manchester. METHODS Trephines (n = 767) performed over 12 months were reviewed. Their lengths, and the lengths of their constituent parts (soft tissue, cortex, crushed marrow and interpretable marrow) were measured. The mean performance of ...