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Breast Tissue Specimens

See Specimen Submission Instructions for test requisition, specimen labeling and specimen packaging requirements.

Specimen Requirements

  1. The entire specimen must be submitted in 10% neutral buffered formalin fixative.
  2. The time the specimen was collected and the time placed in fixative must be recorded on the requisition.
  3. Excisional, incisional, core and mastectomies must fix in formalin for at least six (6) hours and no more than 72 hours for optimal results.
  4. Formalin containers must have a formalin hazard label on the outside of the container.
  5. The amount of formalin should be twenty (20) times the volume of the specimen.

Additional Information

Estrogen Receptor (ER), Progesterone Receptor (PR), Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her2-neu), and Ki67 may be performed on any tissue, but most common on breast specimens with carcinoma.

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