What is flow cytometry?

21 November 2025

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Flow cytometry is a laboratory analytical procedure used in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as cancer. Its function is to quantify cells, identify their volume and morphology, and determine how many are alive, among other aspects. It works by analyzing blood, bone marrow, or tissue samples.

Oncological applications of flow cytometry involve identifying antigens on cells, making it an effective tumor marker. As a widely used technique in biomedical research, flow cytometry has become an essential diagnostic tool for analyzing elements suspended in liquids like blood or bone marrow, and it is also applied to pathologically generated fluids such as those from synovial or pleural effusions.

These applications have made flow cytometry a widely used laboratory technique in various medical specialties, especially:

  • Hematology
  • Immunology
  • Oncology
  • Pathological Anatomy
  • Cell Biology

Uses of Flow Cytometry

  • Detecting cellular markers via antigens.
  • Phenotyping surface antigens.
  • Identifying intracellular molecules.
  • Cell activation tests.
  • Bacteriological cytometry.
  • DNA analysis.
  • Genomic exploration.

Likewise, flow cytometry is used for conditions such as:

  • Leukemia
  • Lymphoproliferative syndromes
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Sarcoidosis
  • Eosinophilic pneumonia
  • Hypersensitivity pneumonitis

Our Clinical Laboratory offers a service with a multidisciplinary group of health professionals who support clinical diagnostics. Their objective is to provide the tools that allow doctors to integrate information for studying, preventing, and diagnosing diseases to give you the best treatment.

Related Centers and Departments

Internal medicine
Radiology and Molecular Imaging
Clinical Laboratory

Fuentes:

  • elsevier.es
  • topdoctors.es
  • radiologyinfo.org
  • msdmanuals.com
  • mayoclinic.org
  • medlineplus.gov
  • medigraphic.com
  • Zúñiga RY, Villegas VCA, Torres RB, et al. Diseño y optimización de un tubo policromático de citometría de flujo para inmunofenotipo linfocitario periférico. Rev Cubana Hematol Inmunol Hemoter. 2020;36(3):.
  • Triana MY, Marsán SV. Aplicaciones de la citometría de flujo en el estudio de los síndromes linfoproliferativos crónicos. Rev Cubana Hematol Inmunol Hemoter. 2020;36(1):1-21.
  • Villegas VCA, Torres LG, Morejón MA, et al. Diseño de un panel de citometría de flujo para muestras de sangre, ascitis y tejido ovárico. Rev Cubana Hematol Inmunol Hemoter. 2019;35(4):1-19.

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