Serological evaluation of patients who present with a subacute neurological disorder of undetermined etiology, especially those with known risk factors for cancer Directing a focused search for cancer Investigating neurological symptoms that appear during, or after, cancer therapy and are not explainable by metastasis Differentiating autoimmune neuropathies from neurotoxic effects of chemotherapy Monitoring the immune response of seropositive patients during cancer therapy Detecting early evidence of cancer recurrence in previously seropositive patients
Specimen Type
Blood
Container
Gold Top Tube
Collection Instructions
Container/Tube: Red top tube or Gold Top Tube Specimen : 4 mL serum (2 mL min) Transport Temperature: Refrigerated Patient Preparation: 1. For optimal antibody detection, specimen collection is recommended prior to initiation of immunosuppressant medication or intravenous immunoglobulin treatment. 2. This test should not be requested for patients who have recently received radioisotopes, therapeutically or diagnostically, because of potential assay interference. The specific waiting period before specimen collection will depend on the isotope administered, the dose given, and the clearance rate in the individual patient. Specimens will be screened for radioactivity prior to analysis. Radioactive specimens received in the laboratory will be held 1 week and assayed if sufficiently decayed or canceled if radioactivity remains.
Transport Instructions
Refrigerated
Specimen Stability
3 days Room Temperature 28 Days Refrigerated or Frozen
Methodology
Indirect Immunofluorescence Assay (IFA) Radioimmunoassay (RIA) Western Blot (WB) Immunoblot (IB) Cell-Binding Assay (CBA)
