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Organization

 

NordiQC

Institute of Pathology

Aalborg Hospital

P.O.Box 561

DK-9100 Aalborg

Denmark

e-mail address: nordiqc@rn.dk

Street address for air waybill:

Institute of Pathology

Aalborg Hospital

Ladegaardsgade 3

DK-9000 Aalborg

Denmark

Tel.: +45 9932 1620 (waybill only)

Do not write P.O.Box on waybills.

Aim of NordiQC

The aim of Nordic immunohistochemical Quality Control (NordiQC) is to promote the quality of  immunohistochemistry and expand its clinical use by arranging schemes for immunohistochemical staining and providing examples of good protocols and other information including descriptions of epitopes and technical solutions.

Core Group

Tomas Seidal, Halmstad, Sweden (Chairman).

(e-mail: tomas.seidal@lthalland.se)
Bjørn Risberg, Oslo, Norway.

(e-mail: brisberg@labmed.uio.no)
Heikki Helin,
Helsinki
, Finland.

(e-mail: heikki.helin@hus.fi)
Mogens Vyberg, Aalborg, Denmark

(e-mail: mv@rn.dk)

 

Scheme manager

Mogens Vyberg, Aalborg, Denmark

(e-mail: mv@rn.dk)

 

Scheme organizer

Søren Nielsen, Aalborg, Denmark

(e-mail: sn@rn.dk)

 

Assessors

(apart from core group and staff)

Antero Laasonen, Seinäjoki, FI

Gunilla Chebill, Hälsingborg, SV

Lena Luts, Hälsingborg, SV

Ole Nielsen, Odense, DK

Torill Sauer, Oslo, NO

 

Histotechnologists

Lise Emanuelsen

(e-mail: le@rn.dk)

Anna Steensgaard

(e-mail: as@rn.dk)

Helle Lunden Nielsen

(e-mail: hln@rn.dk)

 

Policy

NordiQC is a professional and scientific organization independent of economical or political interests. The fact that NordiQC could not be established without its sponsors has no influence on our methods, results or conclusions.

The legal platform is described in the Statutes of NordiQC

All Nordic pathology laboratories are invited to participate in schemes. The laboratories enrol by following the instructions at this website (see Participation).

A limited number of laboratories outside the Nordic countries are accepted as participants.

Methods

The NordiQC work is primarily based on routine immunostaining of slides from standard processed human histological specimens with varying expression of antigens. The stains presented at the web-site  originates from Nordic laboratories participating in schemes (see Participation) arranged by NordiQC.

Important immunohistochemical markers are described with illustrations of optimal staining results. The origin of these stains and the associated protocols are given, encouraging technicians and pathologists to communicate directly when needed.

If a participating laboratory wish to remain anonymous, NordiQC should be informed by e-mail.

Further details are described in Assessment method.

Payment and banking details, see Subscription terms

Background

The diagnostic potential of immunohistochemistry (IHC) in pathology is universally accepted, but its reliability is compromised by lack of standardisation and poor performance. The principal advantage of external quality assessment (EQA) is the ability to detect differences of quality between laboratories and provide guidance on how to achieve acceptable standards. In the Nordic countries, some pathology laboratories have participated in UK-NEQAS schemes, and some in regional schemes. Still, there is a huge need for improvements and for communication in the field of immunohistochemistry particularly due to considerable variations in standards and routines among laboratories and the fact that several laboratories have not had the time or opportunities to develop their immunohistochemical panels and procedures. The increasing number of useful antibodies and protocols have also led to confusion or even resignation among some of our colleagues.

In 1999 nine pathologists from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden with initial help from Dako constructed a Nordic pilot scheme for EQA. A number of test runs were performed involving a number of laboratories increasing from four to 55. Based on this experience, NordiQC was established as a permanent organisation from January 2003 with Institute of Pathology, Aalborg University Hospital as its domicile.

A core group was performed with one representative from each of the four Nordic countries - Denmark: Mogens Vyberg, Aalborg; Norway: Emina Torlakovic, Oslo; Sweden: Tomas Seidal, Karlstad (later Halmstad) and Finland: Heikki Helin, Tampere (later Helsinki). Because of a new position in Canada, Emina Torlakovic left the core group by the end of 2003 and was replaced by Bjørn Risberg, Oslo.

In the first scheme (2003), about 70 laboratories participated. In 2004, 80 laboratories have attended, and in 2005 more than 100.

TS/MV/AS

Last update 25-07-2007