BCR-ABL PCR testing in chronic myelogenous leukemia: molecular diagnosis for targeted cancer therapy and monitoring.

The use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) to treat chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) represents the paradigm for modern targeted cancer therapy. Importantly, molecular monitoring using BCR-ABL real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR) for assessing treatment efficacy and quantitating minimal residual disease is a major determinate of practical therapeutic decision-making in the long-term management of this now chronic disease. Herein, we present an overview of CML and the use of TKIs for targeted CML therapy, with an emphasis on the role, application and future aspects of PCR-based molecular monitoring.

Clinical and pathologic features and clinical impact of false negative thyroid fine-needle aspirations.

Background: Although thyroid fine-needle aspiration (TFNA) is an excellent test in evaluating thyroid nodules, there are occasionally false negatives (FN). The clinical impact and pathologic features of FN TFNA is understudied in the peer-reviewed literature.

Methods: A cohort of patients with thyroid cancer was separated into those with referring FN TFNA and those with referring true positive (TP) TFNA.

Atypical follicular cells with equivocal features of papillary thyroid carcinoma is not a low-risk cytologic diagnosis.

Objective: To determine whether or not significant differences in the risk of malignancy exist between subgroups of atypical follicular cells in The Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytology (TBSRTC) in patients who underwent surgical resection.

Study Design: Between 2004 and 2009, consecutive thyroid fine-needle aspirates at our institutions with a cytologic diagnosis of 'atypical follicular cells' were retrieved and subclassified using the diagnosis and diagnostic comment as: (1) atypical follicular cells with equivocal features of papillary carcinoma [cannot exclude papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC)] and (2) atypical follicular cells, other patterns. The risks of malignancy for excised nodules were calculated and comparisons were made between these subgroups.

Improved preoperative definitive diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma in FNAs prepared with both ThinPrep and conventional smears compared with FNAs prepared with ThinPrep alone.

Background: ThinPrep (TP) liquid-based preparations are increasingly being used in nongynecologic specimens. Few studies have evaluated TP as a sole diagnostic modality in the setting of thyroid fine-needle aspiration (T-FNA). Herein, the authors evaluate the usefulness of TP as a sole diagnostic modality in a nonsplit sample.