Table 2. Reagent costs, staff wages (in pounds sterling; overheads and equipment costs not included) and average reporting times per sample depending on whether MLPA is carried out as a prescreen or a postscreen.
| Category | Testing order | Reagent cost (£)a | Staff time (£) | Total (£) | Average reporting time (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All HNPCC | MLPA prescreen | 61 | 523 | 584 | 91b |
| All HNPCC | MLPA postscreen | 61 | 540 | 601 | 94 |
| Amsterdam-positive HNPCC | MLPA prescreen | 58 | 501 | 559 | 88b |
| Amsterdam-positive HNPCC | MLPA postscreen | 59 | 535 | 594 | 93 |
| Breast cancer (full screen) | MLPA prescreen | 107 | 470 | 577 | 123b |
| Breast cancer (full screen) | MLPA postscreen | 113 | 486 | 599 | 129 |
| FAP | MLPA prescreen | 65 | 292 | 357 | 89b |
| FAP | MLPA postscreen | 64 | 299 | 363 | 92 |
MLPA=multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification; HNPCC=hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer; FAP=familial adenomatous polyposis coli.
a
Including cost of MLPA @ £7/sample.
b
Reporting time within 7 days for those cases with an MLPA-detectable copy number change.