Tumor Marker Ordering: Do Not Lose Control: A Prospective Clinical Trial.

Objectives: In this study, we evaluated the extent of inappropriate tumor marker (TM) ordering in a secondary care setting, approximately 6 years after the introduction of local guidelines, and we identified the main factors potentially influencing clinicians when performing an inappropriate TM request.

Methods: For this purpose, we regularly checked all requests containing more than two TMs. During the 21-month audit, the rate of rejected requests amounted to 3.

The importance of individual biology in the clinical use of serum biomarkers for ovarian cancer.

Background: An increased focus on the biological behaviour of serum biomarkers for ovarian cancer, i.e., carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA-125) and human epididymis protein 4 (HE4), has been advocated to improve their clinical use.

Tracing a roadmap for vitamin B₁₂ testing using the health technology assessment approach.

In our hospital, we are currently working to manage the appropriateness of vitamin B₁₂ (B12) testing. Unfortunately, the classic evidence-based approach is unhelpful in this process and meta-analyzing data on the accuracy of this marker for cobalamin deficiency detection is misleading due to the lack of reference diagnostic methods. The approach currently proposed by the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) enables us to tackle the issue of B₁₂ requests as a "healthcare" problem by considering the position of stakeholders involved in ordering, performing, interpreting the test, and receiving its results.

Revaluating serum ferritin as a marker of body iron stores in the traceability era.

Serum ferritin is used for diagnosing iron-related disorders. However, most studies validating this application were performed before the introduction of the 2nd and 3rd WHO International Standards (ISs) to harmonize assay results. We revised the available literature to evaluate if consolidated clinical applications of ferritin and recommended cut-offs have been validated using ISs calibrated assays.

Biological variation of neuroendocrine tumor markers chromogranin A and neuron-specific enolase.

Objectives: Chromogranin A (CgA) and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) are biomarkers for neuroendocrine tumors. Although the knowledge of their biological variation (BV) is critical, only one study for CgA and no data for NSE are available. We report a definitive assessment of BV components of these biomarkers in the same cohort of subjects by an accurately experimental protocol.

Imprecision of tumour biomarker measurements on Roche Modular E170 platform fulfills desirable goals derived from biological variation.

Background: Monitoring of test imprecision is one of the most important quality indicators in clinical laboratories. Imprecision goals should be derived from biological variation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the imprecision of eight tumour biomarker assays routinely measured on the Modular E170 system.

Mass spectrometry and DNA sequencing are complementary techniques for characterizing hemoglobin variants: the example of hemoglobin J-Oxford.

Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (MS) allows the characterization of most hemoglobin variants and can sometimes be a useful tool to narrow down DNA sequencing analysis. As an example, we report a case of hemoglobin variant J-Oxford, characterized by MS and DNA sequencing analysis.