biostudies-literatureMaurer-Granofszky MEuropean Union’s H2020 Research and Innovation Program6148https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC8656726biostudies-literatureUnknown13(23)Monitoring of minimal residual disease (MRD) by flow cytometry (FCM) is a powerful prognostic tool for predicting outcomes in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). To apply FCM-MRD in large, collaborative trials, dedicated laboratory staff must be educated to concordantly high levels of expertise and their performance quality should be continuously monitored. We sought to install a unique and comprehensive training and quality control (QC) program involving a large number of reference laboratories within the international Berlin-Frankfurt-Münster (I-BFM) consortium, in order to complement the standardization of the methodology with an educational component and persistent quality control measures. Our QC and quality assurance (QA) program is based on four major cornerstones: (i) a twinning maCancersAn Extensive Quality Control and Quality Assurance (QC/QA) Program Significantly Improves Inter-Laboratory Concordance Rates of Flow-Cytometric Minimal Residual Disease Assessment in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: An I-BFM-FLOW-Network Report.PMC865672626.01.2019 / 42/772825749 "CLOSER"Svec PFelice MCarelli DRossi JBarcala VGiordano HRatei RSlavkovic BBukowska-Strakova KKloboves Prevodnik VMaurer-Granofszky MTaparkou ABasso GHevessy ZSchrappe MGaleano AKohlscheen SMalusardi CAttarbaschi AKreminska EHrusak OMoller CMartin BMSedek LAgriello EJakso PBatinic DPaterakis GNikulshin SMejstrikova EAnastasiou-Grenzelia TTorrebadell MScarparo PDubravcic KSolari LMaglia OGonzalez ADworzak MNPopov ADeniz GPalazzi JRodriguez CKarawajew LGroeneveld-Krentz STzanoudaki MSuzan ACBiondi ASamardzija GVarotto EGaillard MIBarna GBruggemann MBurnusuzov HGaipa GSartor MMarinov NOn Behalf Of I-Bfm-Flow-NetworkCampbell MSchumich ABourquin JPBuldini BSajaroff EOKappelmayer JKiss CFeuerstein TIarossi MBVernitsky HConter VSala SSzczepanski TfalseAn Extensive Quality Control and Quality Assurance (QC/QA) Program Significantly Improves Inter-Laboratory Concordance Rates of Flow-Cytometric Minimal Residual Disease Assessment in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: An I-BFM-FLOW-Network Report.Monitoring of minimal residual disease (MRD) by flow cytometry (FCM) is a powerful prognostic tool for predicting outcomes in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). To apply FCM-MRD in large, collaborative trials, dedicated laboratory staff must be educated to concordantly high levels of expertise and their performance quality should be continuously monitored. We sought to install a unique and comprehensive training and quality control (QC) program involving a large number of reference laboratories within the international Berlin-Frankfurt-Münster (I-BFM) consortium, in order to complement the standardization of the methodology with an educational component and persistent quality control measures. Our QC and quality assurance (QA) program is based on four major cornerstones: (i) a twinning ma2021-01-01T00:00:00Z2021 Dec2025-04-26T09:32:00.024Z2022-02-11T15:21:28.786ZS-EPMC86567263488525710.3390/cancers13236148