January 2016—2016 may be year of action on laboratory-developed tests: During a session at the Association for Molecular Pathology’s annual meeting in November, Rep. Michael Burgess, MD (R-Tex.), said he expects the Food and Drug Administration to issue its long-awaited final guidance on laboratory-developed tests during the first quarter of 2016.
Read More »January 2016
When to fire up large multiplex PCR?
January 2016—Multiplex PCR panel tests for viral and gastrointestinal pathogens as well as the rapid identification of bloodstream infections can detect more pathogens more quickly than traditional microbiology methods.The question that continues to bedevil is how to offer this newer breed of tests.
Read More »Rebooting IHC for companion diagnostics
January 2016—Immunotherapy has taken cancer treatment by storm. And given the number of proteins that are targets for immunotherapy and other targeted therapies, immunohistochemistry should theoretically be the ideal method for classifying patients as responders versus non-responders. But there are several reasons why IHC hasn’t reached this status within personalized medicine, says Clive R. Taylor, MD, DPhil, professor of pathology in the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.
Read More »In next-gen sequencing, panel versus exome
January 2016—As next-generation sequencing takes its place in clinical laboratory medicine, a difference is developing between its use when there is a defined phenotype, as with hereditary oncology syndromes or hereditary cardiovascular disorders, and its use in diagnosing hereditary developmental disorders. In oncology, targeted panels remain the optimal mode of application.
Read More »For infection control, PCR and culture compared
Plus, an in-house PCR test for HSV in CSF
January 2016—There is a reason why rigorous studies are done to prove even the seemingly apparent benefits of advanced techniques. Sometimes comparisons turn up unexpected findings, as demonstrated by two selected infectious disease abstracts about real-time PCR presented at the Nov. 5–7, 2015 meeting of the Association for Molecular Pathology. Even so, both abstracts show the value of PCR testing.
Read More »From the President’s Desk: Flexibility matters, 1/16
January 2016—Pathology is becoming more vital, complex, variable, integrated, and interactive. Once upon a time, we trained to enter practice. Today, we must train to be continually trained. Our ability to stay current with science and explain its potential is a critical variable in the quality of care our patients receive. As a department chair and laboratory medical director, I encourage each member of our group to embrace a coordinated approach.
Read More »Nanotechnology in the clinical laboratory
January 2016—The CAP has 30 official liaisons to various organizations who attend scientific meetings or designate others to do so. They report to the Standards Committee, which reports to the Council on Scientific Affairs. We periodically publish bits of what the CAP’s outbound liaisons hear and see in their liaison roles.
Read More »Cases focus on ALK false-negs, post-transplant tumor
January 2016—A sophisticated understanding of the advantages and drawbacks of both familiar and advanced assays can provide great patient benefit, as two talks in a session on solid tumor case studies at the Nov. 5–7, 2015 meeting of the Association for Molecular Pathology showed.
Read More »No answers yet for prostate biopsy infection
January 2016—When Kimberle Chapin, MD, learned in 2014 that Lifespan’s urologists in Rhode Island wanted to begin screening transrectal prostate needle biopsy specimens for fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli, her first reaction was: “What?”
Read More »Cytopathology + More | Anal cytology: life-saving potential at low cost
January 2016—Anal cancer incidence is on the rise in North America with rates of both invasive and in situ squamous carcinomas of the anus increasing sharply over the past several decades. While women have the highest overall likelihood of developing anal carcinomas, certain male subpopulations (namely men who have sex with men and those who are HIV positive) are at a dramatically increased risk of developing squamous precursors and carcinomas of the anal canal.
Read More »Molecular Pathology Selected Abstracts, 1/16
January 2016—Genomic sequencing of tumors can be used clinically to identify acquired somatic mutations in cancer-related genes. In an era of personalized medicine, tumor-specific mutational status can be used to acquire prognostic information and guide molecular targeted therapies. However, many patients also have germline variants in these genes, which not only can make it difficult to identify the tumor-specific somatic mutations, but may also affect the biological mechanism of tumorigenesis.
Read More »Anatomic Pathology Abstracts, 1/16
January 2016—Uterine leiomyosarcomas are rare malignant tumors with a poor prognosis, while leiomyomas are common benign tumors unrelated to their malignant counterparts. Diagnostic features commonly present in leiomyosarcoma include cytologic atypia, high mitotic index, and a sarcoma-specific geographic cell death designated as tumor cell necrosis (TCN).
Read More »Newsbytes, 1/16
January 2015—As the trend in cloud computing continues, in part as a way to reduce capital investment costs, laboratory decision-makers must learn the nuances of how to vet this type of vendor and negotiate software-as-a-service agreements. Without this knowledge, they risk entering into a less-than-satisfactory contractual arrangement that can cost them money, industry experts say.
Read More »Clinical Pathology Abstracts, 1/16
January 2016—A logical delta check for identifying erroneous blood cell count results: Regulations require that hospitals have a quality management plan that benchmarks key indicators of quality performance. One such indicator is a delta check, which is a broad quality control for preanalytic and analytic errors that identifies significant variation in a patient’s present lab result when compared with the patient’s previous result for the same test.
Read More »Q&A column, 1/16
January 2016—The current recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to screen baby boomers for hepatitis C virus may cause stress on laboratory resources. Is this the most prudent way to capture those individuals who will progress to liver cancer? Current data/literature suggest that 80 percent of those who may screen positive will not progress to cancer but will eliminate the virus on their own.
Read More »Throw your hat in the ring? Four CAP Board of Governor positions to open
January 2016—The CAP election to fill four positions on the Board of Governors will take place this summer. The CAP is encouraging its members who have been CAP fellows for at least five years and involved in CAP volunteer activities to consider if they are ready to take the next leadership step.
Read More »