Note: Specimen submissions vary per protocol. Please follow instructions accordingly.

Note: Specimen submissions vary per protocol. Please follow instructions accordingly.

1. Standard Instructions for Collecting and Processing Serum Specimens.
   1. Use 10mL red or red/black marble top (SST) vacutainer tubes with no anticoagulant to collect whole blood for serum processing.
      1. If your site does not have the size vacutainer tubes required by the treatment protocol, other sized tubes may be used to collect the required/requested amount of blood.
      2. Avoid using < 3mL collection tubes.
   2. Use aseptic techniques and draw blood from the patient.
   3. Follow the instructions below for serum collection:
      1. Allow blood to clot for 30-60 minutes at room temperature.
      2. Centrifuge vacutainer tube (s) at 900 x g for 10-15 minutes at room temperature.
      3. Pre-label cryovials according to specimen labeling requirements indicated in the General Specimen Submission Instructions
      4. Using a sterile pipette, remove serum (yellow-clear liquid above clot).
      5. Aliquot the serum into 2mL cryovials at 1mL each.
      6. Immediately freeze vials in a freezing apparatus (ex. Mr. Frosty). If not available, slow freeze vials on dry ice or in a -70°C to -80°C freezer. Store frozen serum vials in a -70°C to -80°C freezer until ready to ship.
   4. Ship frozen serum specimens on dry ice preferably using Federal Express, Priority Overnight service. Use of other courier services may delay package receipt.
      1. Frozen specimens may only be shipped Monday through Thursday using only overnight delivery to arrive Monday through Friday. Do NOT ship frozen specimens on Friday for Saturday delivery.
      2. For packaging instructions, refer to shipping guidelines for frozen specimens in the General Specimen Submission Instructions outlined above.

Note: Specimen submissions vary per protocol. Please follow instructions accordingly.

1. Standard collection of Paraffin Embedded Tissue Block.
   1. Place the fresh tissue in formalin. Do Not Exceed 24 hours fixation time.
   2. Fixed tissue must be paraffin embedded within 24 hours.
   3. Cut one H & E (Hematoxylin and Eosin) stained section from the representative paraffin embedded tissue block.
2. Standard collection of Slides.
   1. Slides may be submitted if the institution cannot release a pathology paraffin embedded block.
   2. Cut unstained sections from the representative paraffin embedded tissue block.
   3. Standard submission of unstained slides should be cut at 5-8 mcM thickness on positive charged slides.
   4. Cut one H & E (Hematoxylin and Eosin) stained section from the representative paraffin embedded tissue block.
   5. Slides may be processed according to local pathology guidelines.
   6. Charged slides will be used for tissue processing unless otherwise noted in treatment protocol.
3. Standard Instructions for Shipping Paraffin Embedded Tissues and Slides:
   1. Include in shipment:
      1. One representative paraffin embedded block.
      2. One standard H&E (Hematoxylin and Eosin) stained slide from a representative paraffin embedded block, if paraffin embedded block not available.
      3. A pathology report (indicating the morphological diagnosis).
      4. A copy of the packing/shipping list produced by the SWOG Online Specimen Tracking System.
   2. Ship paraffin embedded tissue according to the shipping guidelines for ambient specimens in the General Specimen Submission Instructions above.

NOTE: Paraffin tissue blocks will NOT be returned to the submitting institution unless it is required for patient care. If the block is needed for patient care, a written request must be submitted to the bank with a rationale for the return. If a site will have an issue with this requirement, the option to submit slides in place of the block should be considered.