CAP TODAY Pathology/Laboratory Medicine/Laboratory Management
April 2024—The rise in fungal infections in recent years troubles Sean Zhang, MD, PhD, for reasons near and far. It’s readily apparent in the patient populations at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he is director of the mycology laboratory. Especially concerning is the increase in Candida auris following the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, both in terms of colonization and infection cases, says Dr. Zhang, who is also associate professor of pathology, Division of Medical Microbiology, Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “Since 2022, we suddenly saw an uptick in Candida auris cases across the Johns Hopkins Health System.” But the situation isn’t unique to Johns Hopkins. Pointing to CDC figures, he notes that the tide is rising more broadly as well. The agency reports that in 2020, there were 757 clinical cases and 1,310 screening cases of C. auris in the United States. In 2022, there were 2,377 clinical cases and 5,754 screening cases.
Read More »APRIL 2024
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Confronting diagnostic gaps in fungal infection
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Hybrid practice model beckons as solution
April 2024—With the technology now available, could and should remote diagnos-tic pathology, or at least a hybrid model, become more the norm in the future? Timothy Craig Allen, MD, JD, and Casey P. Schukow, DO, of Corewell Health in Michigan, in an editorial published recently, say the time for one or the other or both has come.
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Need for speed in solid tumor molecular testing
April 2024—As the call for fast turnaround of genetic testing results in tumor profiling grows louder, the need for rapid, reliable test methods becomes more pressing. Meanwhile, with new genetic biomarkers emerging at a rapid pace, “everything has tipped the balance toward comprehensive next-generation sequencing analysis,” said Maria E. Arcila, MD.
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Microscope to image—big lift but also a blueprint
April 2024—The Food and Drug Administration in February cleared Proscia’s Concentriq AP-Dx digital pathology software for the purpose of primary diagnosis.
Image Credits: [do_widget id=enhancedtextwidget-12].
Video Spotlight
-
Boost Your IHC Workflow and Increase Throughput of Cases
See the impact achieved in real-world customer settings with a holistic approach to tissue staining. Learn more. Read More »
CAP TODAY Roundtables
-
AP and CP reporting, from interfaces to IT wishes
March 2024—Anatomic and clinical pathology reporting—what’s working, what’s missing. Three pathologists (all board certified in informatics) and representatives of three information system companies met online Dec. 19 with CAP TODAY publisher Bob McGonnagle to talk about reporting needs and what’s optimal. The first half of their discussion was published in the February issue, with CAP TODAY’s guide to anatomic pathology computer systems. The second half begins here.
Read More » -
With pipeline for pathologists, others lacking, eyes on AI
-
AP and CP reporting—the needs, the caveats
CAP TODAY Webinars Upcoming and On-Demand
-
Combining Clinical Signs and Symptoms with Histopathology for Definitive Diagnosis of Idiopathic Multicentric Castleman Disease (iMCD)
Webinar presenter Jade Neff, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, discusses Definitive Diagnosis of Idiopathic Multicentric Castleman Disease (iMCD), including the pivotal role that pathologists play in diagnosing iMCD, an elusive and debilitating disease that poses unique diagnostic challenges. Read More » -
Empowering Pathology Partnerships
for Growth & Rewards with GoPathWebinar presenters Jim Lu, MD, PhD, CEO, Medical Director GoPath Diagnostics, and Kenneth Bloom, MD, Head of Pathology, Nucleai, discuss the future of partnerships between community-based pathology groups and (national) laboratories, including sub-specialty coverage, workload balancing, solutions in high-tech diagnostics, turnkey support for digital path and AI, and opportunities for more revenue and higher profits.
Image Credits: [do_widget id=enhancedtextwidget-12].
REGISTER NOW
-
Register for our upcoming webinar
Genomic profile availability impact on NSCLC patient outcomes in real word study and daily practice
Read More »
Thursday, June 13, 2024, 1:00 PM–2:00 PM ET
Webinar presenters Melina Marmarelis, MD, MSCE, and Salvatore Fortunato Priore, MD, PhD, will discuss a real-world cohort study using electronic health records to assess the impact of the genomic profile availability to guide 1st line therapy on patient outcomes. They found that availability of molecular genotyping results before 1L therapy was associated with significantly better OS, and also, that concurrent tissue and plasma testing was associated with a higher odds of availability of results before 1L therapy. -
Register for our upcoming webinar
Virtual Roundtable: Optimizing Testing for the Diagnosis of Systemic Mastocytosis
June 25, 2024, 1:00 PM–2:00 PM ET
Webinar presenters Robyn Scherber, MD, MPH Hematologist UT Health SA, Medical Director Blueprint Medicines; Anton Rets, MD, PhD Associate Professor University of Utah, Medical Director Hematopathology and Immunohistochemistry; Nathan A. Boggs, MD, PhD Assistant Professor of Medicine, Uniformed Services University Allergy Division Director will discuss the barriers and possible solutions to screening for and diagnosing Systemic Mastocytosis (SM) and recommendations that will empower cross-functional laboratory stakeholders to implement changes that can help improve the diagnosis of SM.
Image Credits: [do_widget id=enhancedtextwidget-12].
AMP Case Reports
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AMP case report: Use of molecular techniques to solve a challenging case of primary cutaneous marginal zone lymphoma
April 2024—Primary cutaneous marginal zone lymphoma (PCMZL) is a newly recognized, distinctive subtype of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This low-grade lymphoma predominantly presents as papules or nodules within the skin of middle-aged adults. Formerly grouped under the extranodal marginal zone lymphoma (EMZL) category, the World Health Organization’s fifth edition classification of hematolymphoid tumors now recognizes PCMZL as a distinct entity.
Read More » -
AMP case report: Acute myeloid leukemia with hyperdiploidy
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AMP case report: Potential von Hippel-Lindau syndrome in a patient with negative germline testing
-
AMP case report: Identification of multiple germline cancer predisposing gene variants in a single patient during tumor sequencing analysis
-
AMP case report: Lung micropapillary adenocarcinomas revisited
APRIL 2024
-
Confronting diagnostic gaps in fungal infection
April 2024—The rise in fungal infections in recent years troubles Sean Zhang, MD, PhD, for reasons near and far. It’s readily apparent in the patient populations at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he is director of the mycology laboratory. Especially concerning is the increase in Candida auris following the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, both in terms of colonization and infection cases, says Dr. Zhang, who is also associate professor of pathology, Division of Medical Microbiology, Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “Since 2022, we suddenly saw an uptick in Candida auris cases across the Johns Hopkins Health System.” But the situation isn’t unique to Johns Hopkins. Pointing to CDC figures, he notes that the tide is rising more broadly as well. The agency reports that in 2020, there were 757 clinical cases and 1,310 screening cases of C. auris in the United States. In 2022, there were 2,377 clinical cases and 5,754 screening cases.
Read More » -
Hybrid practice model beckons as solution
April 2024—With the technology now available, could and should remote diagnos-tic pathology, or at least a hybrid model, become more the norm in the future? Timothy Craig Allen, MD, JD, and Casey P. Schukow, DO, of Corewell Health in Michigan, in an editorial published recently, say the time for one or the other or both has come.
-
Need for speed in solid tumor molecular testing
April 2024—As the call for fast turnaround of genetic testing results in tumor profiling grows louder, the need for rapid, reliable test methods becomes more pressing. Meanwhile, with new genetic biomarkers emerging at a rapid pace, “everything has tipped the balance toward comprehensive next-generation sequencing analysis,” said Maria E. Arcila, MD.
-
Microscope to image—big lift but also a blueprint
April 2024—The Food and Drug Administration in February cleared Proscia’s Concentriq AP-Dx digital pathology software for the purpose of primary diagnosis.
Image Credits: [do_widget id=enhancedtextwidget-12].
Video Spotlight
-
Boost Your IHC Workflow and Increase Throughput of Cases
See the impact achieved in real-world customer settings with a holistic approach to tissue staining. Learn more. Read More »
CAP TODAY Roundtables
-
AP and CP reporting, from interfaces to IT wishes
March 2024—Anatomic and clinical pathology reporting—what’s working, what’s missing. Three pathologists (all board certified in informatics) and representatives of three information system companies met online Dec. 19 with CAP TODAY publisher Bob McGonnagle to talk about reporting needs and what’s optimal. The first half of their discussion was published in the February issue, with CAP TODAY’s guide to anatomic pathology computer systems. The second half begins here.
Read More » -
With pipeline for pathologists, others lacking, eyes on AI
-
AP and CP reporting—the needs, the caveats
CAP TODAY Webinars Upcoming and On-Demand
-
Combining Clinical Signs and Symptoms with Histopathology for Definitive Diagnosis of Idiopathic Multicentric Castleman Disease (iMCD)
Webinar presenter Jade Neff, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, discusses Definitive Diagnosis of Idiopathic Multicentric Castleman Disease (iMCD), including the pivotal role that pathologists play in diagnosing iMCD, an elusive and debilitating disease that poses unique diagnostic challenges. Read More » -
Empowering Pathology Partnerships
for Growth & Rewards with GoPathWebinar presenters Jim Lu, MD, PhD, CEO, Medical Director GoPath Diagnostics, and Kenneth Bloom, MD, Head of Pathology, Nucleai, discuss the future of partnerships between community-based pathology groups and (national) laboratories, including sub-specialty coverage, workload balancing, solutions in high-tech diagnostics, turnkey support for digital path and AI, and opportunities for more revenue and higher profits.
Image Credits: [do_widget id=enhancedtextwidget-12].
REGISTER NOW
-
Register for our upcoming webinar
Genomic profile availability impact on NSCLC patient outcomes in real word study and daily practice
Read More »
Thursday, June 13, 2024, 1:00 PM–2:00 PM ET
Webinar presenters Melina Marmarelis, MD, MSCE, and Salvatore Fortunato Priore, MD, PhD, will discuss a real-world cohort study using electronic health records to assess the impact of the genomic profile availability to guide 1st line therapy on patient outcomes. They found that availability of molecular genotyping results before 1L therapy was associated with significantly better OS, and also, that concurrent tissue and plasma testing was associated with a higher odds of availability of results before 1L therapy. -
Register for our upcoming webinar
Virtual Roundtable: Optimizing Testing for the Diagnosis of Systemic Mastocytosis
June 25, 2024, 1:00 PM–2:00 PM ET
Webinar presenters Robyn Scherber, MD, MPH Hematologist UT Health SA, Medical Director Blueprint Medicines; Anton Rets, MD, PhD Associate Professor University of Utah, Medical Director Hematopathology and Immunohistochemistry; Nathan A. Boggs, MD, PhD Assistant Professor of Medicine, Uniformed Services University Allergy Division Director will discuss the barriers and possible solutions to screening for and diagnosing Systemic Mastocytosis (SM) and recommendations that will empower cross-functional laboratory stakeholders to implement changes that can help improve the diagnosis of SM.
Image Credits: [do_widget id=enhancedtextwidget-12].
AMP Case Reports
-
AMP case report: Use of molecular techniques to solve a challenging case of primary cutaneous marginal zone lymphoma
April 2024—Primary cutaneous marginal zone lymphoma (PCMZL) is a newly recognized, distinctive subtype of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This low-grade lymphoma predominantly presents as papules or nodules within the skin of middle-aged adults. Formerly grouped under the extranodal marginal zone lymphoma (EMZL) category, the World Health Organization’s fifth edition classification of hematolymphoid tumors now recognizes PCMZL as a distinct entity.
Read More » -
AMP case report: Acute myeloid leukemia with hyperdiploidy
-
AMP case report: Potential von Hippel-Lindau syndrome in a patient with negative germline testing
-
AMP case report: Identification of multiple germline cancer predisposing gene variants in a single patient during tumor sequencing analysis
-
AMP case report: Lung micropapillary adenocarcinomas revisited
APRIL 2024
-
Confronting diagnostic gaps in fungal infection
April 2024—The rise in fungal infections in recent years troubles Sean Zhang, MD, PhD, for reasons near and far. It’s readily apparent in the patient populations at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he is director of the mycology laboratory. Especially concerning is the increase in Candida auris following the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, both in terms of colonization and infection cases, says Dr. Zhang, who is also associate professor of pathology, Division of Medical Microbiology, Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “Since 2022, we suddenly saw an uptick in Candida auris cases across the Johns Hopkins Health System.” But the situation isn’t unique to Johns Hopkins. Pointing to CDC figures, he notes that the tide is rising more broadly as well. The agency reports that in 2020, there were 757 clinical cases and 1,310 screening cases of C. auris in the United States. In 2022, there were 2,377 clinical cases and 5,754 screening cases.
Read More » -
Hybrid practice model beckons as solution
April 2024—With the technology now available, could and should remote diagnos-tic pathology, or at least a hybrid model, become more the norm in the future? Timothy Craig Allen, MD, JD, and Casey P. Schukow, DO, of Corewell Health in Michigan, in an editorial published recently, say the time for one or the other or both has come.
-
Need for speed in solid tumor molecular testing
April 2024—As the call for fast turnaround of genetic testing results in tumor profiling grows louder, the need for rapid, reliable test methods becomes more pressing. Meanwhile, with new genetic biomarkers emerging at a rapid pace, “everything has tipped the balance toward comprehensive next-generation sequencing analysis,” said Maria E. Arcila, MD.
-
Microscope to image—big lift but also a blueprint
April 2024—The Food and Drug Administration in February cleared Proscia’s Concentriq AP-Dx digital pathology software for the purpose of primary diagnosis.
Image Credits: [do_widget id=enhancedtextwidget-12].
Video Spotlight
-
Boost Your IHC Workflow and Increase Throughput of Cases
See the impact achieved in real-world customer settings with a holistic approach to tissue staining. Learn more. Read More »
CAP TODAY Roundtables
-
AP and CP reporting, from interfaces to IT wishes
March 2024—Anatomic and clinical pathology reporting—what’s working, what’s missing. Three pathologists (all board certified in informatics) and representatives of three information system companies met online Dec. 19 with CAP TODAY publisher Bob McGonnagle to talk about reporting needs and what’s optimal. The first half of their discussion was published in the February issue, with CAP TODAY’s guide to anatomic pathology computer systems. The second half begins here.
Read More » -
With pipeline for pathologists, others lacking, eyes on AI
-
AP and CP reporting—the needs, the caveats
CAP TODAY Webinars Upcoming and On-Demand
-
Combining Clinical Signs and Symptoms with Histopathology for Definitive Diagnosis of Idiopathic Multicentric Castleman Disease (iMCD)
Webinar presenter Jade Neff, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, discusses Definitive Diagnosis of Idiopathic Multicentric Castleman Disease (iMCD), including the pivotal role that pathologists play in diagnosing iMCD, an elusive and debilitating disease that poses unique diagnostic challenges. Read More » -
Empowering Pathology Partnerships
for Growth & Rewards with GoPathWebinar presenters Jim Lu, MD, PhD, CEO, Medical Director GoPath Diagnostics, and Kenneth Bloom, MD, Head of Pathology, Nucleai, discuss the future of partnerships between community-based pathology groups and (national) laboratories, including sub-specialty coverage, workload balancing, solutions in high-tech diagnostics, turnkey support for digital path and AI, and opportunities for more revenue and higher profits.
Image Credits: [do_widget id=enhancedtextwidget-12].
REGISTER NOW
-
Register for our upcoming webinar
Genomic profile availability impact on NSCLC patient outcomes in real word study and daily practice
Read More »
Thursday, June 13, 2024, 1:00 PM–2:00 PM ET
Webinar presenters Melina Marmarelis, MD, MSCE, and Salvatore Fortunato Priore, MD, PhD, will discuss a real-world cohort study using electronic health records to assess the impact of the genomic profile availability to guide 1st line therapy on patient outcomes. They found that availability of molecular genotyping results before 1L therapy was associated with significantly better OS, and also, that concurrent tissue and plasma testing was associated with a higher odds of availability of results before 1L therapy. -
Register for our upcoming webinar
Virtual Roundtable: Optimizing Testing for the Diagnosis of Systemic Mastocytosis
June 25, 2024, 1:00 PM–2:00 PM ET
Webinar presenters Robyn Scherber, MD, MPH Hematologist UT Health SA, Medical Director Blueprint Medicines; Anton Rets, MD, PhD Associate Professor University of Utah, Medical Director Hematopathology and Immunohistochemistry; Nathan A. Boggs, MD, PhD Assistant Professor of Medicine, Uniformed Services University Allergy Division Director will discuss the barriers and possible solutions to screening for and diagnosing Systemic Mastocytosis (SM) and recommendations that will empower cross-functional laboratory stakeholders to implement changes that can help improve the diagnosis of SM.
Image Credits: [do_widget id=enhancedtextwidget-12].
AMP Case Reports
-
AMP case report: Use of molecular techniques to solve a challenging case of primary cutaneous marginal zone lymphoma
April 2024—Primary cutaneous marginal zone lymphoma (PCMZL) is a newly recognized, distinctive subtype of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This low-grade lymphoma predominantly presents as papules or nodules within the skin of middle-aged adults. Formerly grouped under the extranodal marginal zone lymphoma (EMZL) category, the World Health Organization’s fifth edition classification of hematolymphoid tumors now recognizes PCMZL as a distinct entity.
Read More » -
AMP case report: Acute myeloid leukemia with hyperdiploidy
-
AMP case report: Potential von Hippel-Lindau syndrome in a patient with negative germline testing
-
AMP case report: Identification of multiple germline cancer predisposing gene variants in a single patient during tumor sequencing analysis
-
AMP case report: Lung micropapillary adenocarcinomas revisited
APRIL 2024
-
Confronting diagnostic gaps in fungal infection
April 2024—The rise in fungal infections in recent years troubles Sean Zhang, MD, PhD, for reasons near and far. It’s readily apparent in the patient populations at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he is director of the mycology laboratory. Especially concerning is the increase in Candida auris following the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, both in terms of colonization and infection cases, says Dr. Zhang, who is also associate professor of pathology, Division of Medical Microbiology, Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “Since 2022, we suddenly saw an uptick in Candida auris cases across the Johns Hopkins Health System.” But the situation isn’t unique to Johns Hopkins. Pointing to CDC figures, he notes that the tide is rising more broadly as well. The agency reports that in 2020, there were 757 clinical cases and 1,310 screening cases of C. auris in the United States. In 2022, there were 2,377 clinical cases and 5,754 screening cases.
Read More » -
Hybrid practice model beckons as solution
April 2024—With the technology now available, could and should remote diagnos-tic pathology, or at least a hybrid model, become more the norm in the future? Timothy Craig Allen, MD, JD, and Casey P. Schukow, DO, of Corewell Health in Michigan, in an editorial published recently, say the time for one or the other or both has come.
-
Need for speed in solid tumor molecular testing
April 2024—As the call for fast turnaround of genetic testing results in tumor profiling grows louder, the need for rapid, reliable test methods becomes more pressing. Meanwhile, with new genetic biomarkers emerging at a rapid pace, “everything has tipped the balance toward comprehensive next-generation sequencing analysis,” said Maria E. Arcila, MD.
-
Microscope to image—big lift but also a blueprint
April 2024—The Food and Drug Administration in February cleared Proscia’s Concentriq AP-Dx digital pathology software for the purpose of primary diagnosis.
Image Credits: [do_widget id=enhancedtextwidget-12].
In Every Issue
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From the President’s Desk
April 2024—When Tip O’Neill, former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, said many years ago that all politics is local, he was talking about how elections, legislation, and all of politics affect people where they live. I believe the concept applies just as much to pathology advocacy. When it comes to the issues we care about for our profession and for our patients, our efforts in advocacy, lobbying, educating, and persuading all need to happen at the local level just as much as at the national level.
Read More » -
Clinical pathology selected abstracts
April 2024—Neonatal anemia is a common comorbidity of premature infants and may result from certain obstetric conditions or diseases, or, in the case of iatrogenic anemia, from multiple phlebotomies in the first days of life. Once infants enter the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), they undergo a series of laboratory tests at baseline and then as needed for treatment or monitoring. These tests commonly include blood cultures, CBCs, coagulation profiles, metabolic screens, blood gases, blood glucose, and chemistry profiles. Phlebotomy-associated blood loss is more clinically relevant in lower birth-weight neonates since they have lower total circulating blood volumes. When blood is drawn from an indwelling umbilical catheter, even more blood is removed due to the need to flush residual intravenous fluid from the line.
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Anatomic pathology selected abstracts
April 2024—Fumarate hydratase-deficient renal cell carcinoma is a rare and distinct subtype of renal cancer caused by FH gene mutations. FH negativity and s-2-succinocysteine (2SC) positivity on IHC can be used to screen for FH-deficient renal cell carcinoma (RCC), but their sensitivity and specificity are imperfect. The expression of AKR1B10, an aldo-keto reductase that catalyzes cofactor-dependent oxidation-reduction reactions, in RCC is unclear. The authors compared AKR1B10, 2SC, and FH as diagnostic biomarkers for FH-deficient RCC. They included genetically confirmed FH-deficient RCCs (n=58), genetically confirmed TFE3 translocation RCCs (TFE3-tRCC; n=83), clear cell RCCs (n=188), chromophobe RCCs (n=128), and papillary RCCs (pRCC; n=97).
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Molecular pathology selected abstracts
April 2024—Personalized medicine is revolutionizing cancer therapy, with targeted treatments customized to a person’s cancer-specific mutational profile leading to substantially improved health outcomes. Personalized medicine can also be applied to cancer prevention for high-risk groups based on genetic predisposition or lifestyle factors. However, there is a significant gap in cancer research resulting from a lack of equitable representation of racial and ethnic groups in cancer databases. Most research data are derived from white patients in the United States and Europe, creating racial disparities in understanding cancer development and therapies. The underrepresentation of patients of African, Asian, and Native American descent in observational, translational, and clinical cancer studies is particularly notable.