Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Immunophenotyping (Pilot - Not Accredited)

Programme objective: This programme is designed to assess a laboratory’s ability to immunophenotype leukaemic cells in CSF by flow Cytometry.

Clinical/scientific background: The infiltration of leukaemic cells into cerebrospinal fluids (CSF) is often associated with a poor prognosis.

Suitability:  Participation in this External Quality Assessment (EQA) programme is open to laboratories employing any Flow Cytometric approach for the detection of leukaemic cells in a CSF sample.

Participants are required to analyse the sample using their routine testing procedure to ascertain if there is CSF involvement of the disease type given. Results for CSF cell count, cell morphology and immunophenotyping via flow cytometry are requested in this programme. No cytospin film will be provided with the sample. Participants should not use the stabilised sample to make a cytospin as the stabilisation process is designed to preserve the cells for flow cytometric analysis, and so this may result in aberrant blood film morphology that could be misleading.

All EQA programme communications, data entry, and reports will be conducted exclusively in the English language. Participants must ensure proficiency in English to fully engage in the programme.

The programme welcomes participation from diverse sectors including:

• Clinical Healthcare Laboratories
• Academic and Research Institutions
• In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) Manufacturers
• Pharmaceutical companies

Minimum participation level 30, maximum participation level 300.

Sample type/distribution: One sample is issued per trial and this programme issues samples a minimum of 2 times per annum and a maximum of 3. A sample of stabilised white cells suspended in artificial CSF will be provided together with a digital cytospin image for preliminary morphological analysis prior to undertaking flow cytometric assessment.

Trial duration: Trials for this programme are live/open for a minimum of three weeks. Please note trials issued/closing in August or December are extended by one week.

Subcontracted areas  No activities in relation to this EQA programme are subcontracted.

Updates to the programme for current or upcoming year: Each year we quote a minimum and a maximum number of possible trial distributions that will be issued on our website, subject to sample availability. Historically, we have consistently achieved the maximum number of distributions. In 2025-2026 due to staffing shortage, we are unlikely to hit the maximum number of distributions, as we have in previous years and trials may not be equally distributed throughout the year i.e; bimonthly. We will return to the full trial distribution schedule in 2026-2027. Please accept our apologies for this short-term decrease in our services.

To register for this programme, please click here.