January 2017—Only a sadist would want to see gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma become as common as breast cancer. GEA wreaks enough destruction already as the fifth (stomach) and eighth (esophageal) most common cancers worldwide.
Read More »January 2017
In new era, cannabis testing a mixed bag
January 2017—Extended cruises down the rivers of Europe and life without alarm clocks might figure in a vision of retirement for some people, but don’t include toxicology expert Marilyn A. Huestis, PhD, in that contingent, at least for now.
Read More »Buzz, prospects build for heparin-induced thrombocytopenia test
January 2017—U.S. physicians and laboratories are anticipating the early 2017 launch of the HemosIL HIT-Ab(PF4-H) assay, which detects antibodies associated with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. The new test from Instrumentation Laboratory, Bedford, Mass., is the first fully automated, on-demand assay for HIT.
Read More »‘Brave’ new book—AP quality management for everyone
January 2017—What does it take to produce and edit the first book on AP quality management that the CAP has published in more than a decade? A diverse network of experts, a commitment to comprehensive quality assurance, and, says co-editor Qihui “Jim” Zhai, MD, a bit of bravery.
Read More »From the President’s Desk: The constancy of uncertainty, 1/17
January 2017—In February 2002, with Americans still reeling from the Sept. 11 attacks, many were preoccupied with rumors suggesting that the Iraqi dictator had acquired weapons of mass destruction and intended to supply them to terrorists.
Read More »With metagenomic sequencing, no pathogen can hide
January 2017—Detecting pathogenic organisms with PCR has become a staple of the clinical microbiology laboratory, so much so that it seems like it has always been there. A more advanced molecular technique—unbiased metagenomic next-generation sequencing—will increasingly become a part of infectious disease diagnosis because it has several advantages over PCR. While it will be demanding to perform at first, it, too, may become a standard method in the clinical microbiology laboratory.
Read More »Cytopathology In Focus: The significance of NIFTP for thyroid cytology
January 2017—A recent landmark study performed under the auspices of the Endocrine Pathology Society has proposed a new diagnostic entity in the thyroid: noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features, or NIFTP.
Read More »Cytopathology In Focus: NIFTP’s impact on FNA malignancy risk
January 2017— What’s in a name? As announced in JAMA Oncology in April 2016, tumors previously classified as follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma and found to have no invasion on adequate sampling of the tumor capsule have been given a new name: noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features, or NIFTP.
Read More »Cytopathology In Focus: CAP meets MOC with à la carte modules online
January 2017—It’s the end of the year, say, and you are just a few self-assessment modules, or SAMs, short of the required 20 in your area of expertise—anatomic pathology. You have to meet the requirements for the American Board of Pathology’s Maintenance of Certification and time-limited cytopathology and AP/CP certificates for each two-year reporting cycle. What to do?
Read More »Cytopathology in Focus: The dysfunctional relationship between labs and their IT
January 2017—Complaints about laboratory information technology services are nearly universal. Rare is the person who is happy with his or her laboratory information system or with the way information services are delivered.
Read More »Tough times demand superior business savvy
January 2017—Reimbursement policies, competitive forces, and pathologist workforce numbers will reshape pathology groups in the coming years, say Barry Portugal, president of Florida-based Health Care Development Services, and Edward P. Fody, MD, president of Western Michigan Pathology Associates.
Read More »The what and why of diagnostic management teams
January 2017—Michael Laposata, MD, PhD, has been speaking for years about the need for laboratory consultations and diagnostic management teams, and he will lead the first formal meeting Feb. 7–8 in Galveston, Tex., on what the teams are and how to implement them. Writer Ron Shinkman put a few questions to him about diagnostic management teams and pathology practice. Dr. Laposata is a professor in and chairman of the Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch-Galveston. Here’s what he said.
Read More »Molecular Pathology Selected Abstracts, 1/17
January 2017—Tumor profiling and patient outcomes in genotype-matched clinical trials: Molecular profiling of tumors with next-generation sequencing can provide important diagnostic and prognostic information that can be used to inform treatment strategies.
Read More »Anatomic Pathology Abstracts, 1/17
January 2017—Drawbacks of reflex ER and PR analysis of DCIS in breast needle core biopsies; Analysis of eosinophils and mast cells of gastrointestinal tract in healthy children; Classifying gastric cancer into molecular subgroups; Clinicopathologic significance of mismatch repair defects in endometrial cancer; Use of immunostains to distinguish hepatic adenoma from hepatocellular carcinoma; Prognostic effect of PD-L1 expression patterns in cervical cancers; Variation in pattern-based classification of invasive endocervical adenocarcinoma
Read More »Clinical Pathology Abstracts, 1/17
January 2017—Impact of laboratory cost display on resident attitudes and knowledge of costs: The Institute of Medicine report on health care quality recommends providing better care at lower costs. However, the United States has consistently seen rising health care costs instead of cost reductions. An approach to reducing unnecessary health care spending is to make physicians more aware of the cost of diagnostic tests.
Read More »Q&A column, 1/17
January 2017—I have a technologist who is a recent graduate from a medical technology school. She has her BA but the school she attended did not offer an internship program. We are offering her one year of on-the-job training so she will be able to sit for her ASCP certification exam after completing the one year of training.
Read More »Newsbytes, 1/17
January 2017—How informatics tools can boost QA in anatomic pathology: Love and marriage, cookies and milk . . . quality assurance and informatics? In pathology, the latter pair are a natural fit, says Liron Pantanowitz, MD.
Read More »Put It on the Board, 1/17
January 2017—Experts collaborate on evidence-based somatic variant classification system; FDA clears next-generation test for MRSA colonization; PMA approval granted for Aptima HIV-1 Quant; Henry Ford announces automation partnership; ArcherDX launches immune repertoire sequencing assays
Read More »AMP case report: December 2016 test yourself answers
In the December 2016 issue was a report, “Isolated hepatic neuroendocrine tumor expressing albumin mRNA and arginase-1,” written by members of the Association for Molecular Pathology. Here are answers (in bold) to the three “test yourself ” questions that followed that case report.
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