Abstract
We examined the clinical application of the new classification criteria for neutrophil-lineage cells. Twelve facilities and 87 researchers (including individual participants) were asked to conduct cytological evaluations of 50 medical examination specimens that satisfied all the criteria in terms of biochemistry, immunology, and hematology, as well as the virtual slides prepared for CML cases. We also performed the cytological evaluation of the 60 cells used in a photosurvey and 74 clinical specimens including those from SIRS cases. The percentage of stab neutrophils (band) of the medical examination specimens ranged from 0.5 to 6.7%, which is almost the same as the national average, i.e., from 0.5 to 6.5%. The virtual slides showed characteristics such as a left-side or right-side predominance among institutions, and personal accounts themselves represented the characteristics of their institutes. The reproducibility of the new classification criteria was favorable when more than 80% of the results of the photosurvey were consistent. We also consider that the band ratio will increase in accordance with the vital signs and can be available in everyday clinical practice without causing any problem for the examination of SIRS specimens.
