Sheila and Tom
NYS requlations state surgical blocks, slides and reports are retained
for 20 years.  We have had requests for additional testing on prior
malignant breast tissue for Her 2/neu now that it is no longer an
experimental test.  It's nice to have the tissue samples but it is a
storage nightmare.
Pat Quattrone HT
Olean General Hosp
Olean, NY

On Tue, 16 May 2000 10:36:26 -0400 "Tom T. McNemar"
<TMcNemar@lmhealth.org> writes:
> We have always kept blocks for 10 years and all slides for 20 years.  
> We
> recently have changed the slides to 10 years but plan to keep blocks 
> at 10
> years.
> 
> Tom Mc Nemar
> Pathology Supervisor
> Licking Memorial Hospital
> Newark, Ohio
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From:	Sheila Poellein [SMTP:sheila_poellein@deaconess.com]
> > Sent:	Monday, May 15, 2000 2:10 PM
> > To:	'histonet'
> > Subject:	paraffin block storage
> > 
> > CAP regulations state that paraffin blocks should be retained for 
> 5 years.
> > In a recent CAP Today, it was suggested that this time  be 
> extended for
> > either all blocks or tumor blocks because of the potential for new 
> testing
> > capabilites (for example her 2-neu) that might be developed.  We 
> have
> > limited storage space as well as spare time to keep two filing 
> systems for
> > blocks.  I would appreciate all comments on this issue, do you 
> keep longer
> > than 5 years or not?, if you do what system do you have in place?  
> all
> > blocks or selective blocks? 
> > 
> > thanks,
> > Sheila
> > 
> 

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