• Pathology
  
• Blood Transfusions
  
• Blood Tests
  

• Dr. Ed Uthman's The Biopsy Report: A Patient's Guide , on Steve Dunn's Cancer Guide . This is an excellent guide for patients on what that pathology report means.

• Hematopathology, by Powers Peterson, M.D., from the Department of Pathology, Cornell University Medical College, a tutorial on hematopathology.

• The Special Hematology Laboratory at Penn State Geisinger Health System's Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

• University of Washington Hematopathology Laboratory., this site has a lot of very technical information on the diagnosis of leukemia, lymphoma and other hematological diseases.

• Molecular Cytogenetics (FISH) discusses the concepts behind and the use of the FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization) test, which is often used on bone marrow samples of leukemia patients. From Vol. 13 of GENETIC DRIFT Online, (Spring 1996) published semiannually by the Education Committee of the Mountain States Regional Genetic Services Network.

• Explanation of the Fluorescent In Situ Hybridation (FISH) test from the Cytogenetics Lab of the Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin - Madison . FISH is sometimes used to analyze bone marrow for the presence of certain chromosomal abnormalities.

• Ed Friedlander, the Pathology Guy, is a board-certified pathologist and Chairman of the Deptartment of Pathology at University of Health Sciences, Kansas City, Missouri. He provides lecture notes and many other articles on many topics in pathology.

Blood transfusions are ubiquitous in treating leukemia and the side effects of therapy. We include some links that provide information on the subject.

• Introduction to hematology provides a useful simple introduction to the various kinds of blood cells. From the Puget Sound Blood Center.

• M.D. Anderson Cancer Center , Current Issues in Transfusion Medicine , a newsletter intended for physicians.

• Dr. Deloughery's Famous Handouts for medical students about transfusions and some other items.

• Transfusion Medicine from the Merck Manual.

• American Association of Blood Banks is a professional society of blood banks and individuals involved in blood banking. Their site has information on donating blood, recieving blood transfusions, the risks of blood transfusions, information on blood types and more.

• Canadian Blood Services / Société Canadienne du Sang.

• Héma-Québec (English) and Héma-Québec (Francais)

• Platelet Transfusions during the treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia . The December 25, 1997 issue, (Volume 337, Number 26) of the New England Journal of Medicine has two articles plus an editorial on the use of platelet transfusions in the treatment of AML (to read the articles registration is required but is free).
  1. The Trial to Reduce Alloimmunization to Platelets Study Group. Leukocyte reduction and ultraviolet B irradiation of platelets to prevent alloimmunization and refractoriness to platelet transfusions by The Trial to Reduce Alloimmunization to Platelets Study Group, pages 1861-9, reports on the use of filters and ultraviolet B irradiation for patients who were receiving induction chemotherapy for AML. (Registration, Which Is Free Is Required Only).
     
  2. The threshold for prophylactic platelet transfusions in adults with acute myeloid leukemia, by Rebulla P, Finazzi G, Marangoni F, et al. pages 1870-5.
     
  3. Editorial: The Perils of Platelet Transfusions, by Margot S. Kruskall, page, 1914, discusses the history and uses of platelet tranfusions.
     
  4. Prophylactic Platelet Transfusions in Acute Myeloid Leukemia, followup correspondence from the May 14, 1998 issue, Volume 338, Number 20 .

     
     

Yahoo! links on Blood Transfusions.

• Consumer Laboratory Testing Information Page from The American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science explains (with pictures) the Complete Blood Count (CBC) and other laboratory blood tests.

• Haematological Malignancy Diagnostic Service operates a page (with pictures) that explains all laboratory blood tests. Since this comes from Leeds University in the UK, the normal ranges will be expressed in European terms.

• Pathology Laboratory Handbook from the University of Michigan Department of Pathology. The handbook has information on many tests, including blood tests. You can search the handbook as well. There is also a listing of critical values.

• Interpretation of Lab Test Profiles, by Dr. Ed Uthman's. Provides an explanation of various lab tests, including chemistries and various blood counts.

• Testing: Blood Counts from the Lymphoma Information Network .
  

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