The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) recently issued guidelines on use of next-generation sequencing (NGS) for various types of cancer as part of routine clinical practice. The … [Read more...]
Genetic Testing
New EMSO Guidelines Address Efficacy of Next Generation Sequencing for Different Cancer Types
November 2, 2020
Testing Strategy
Saliva and Oral Swabs Emerge as Scalable Alternative to Nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 Testing
November 2, 2020
The standard method for detecting upper respiratory viruses is to perform tests on tissue sample from the back of the sinus cavity collected by inserting a long nasopharyngeal swab deep into the … [Read more...]
Genetic Tests
New Guidelines Advise Against Using Polygenetic Risk Scores for Routine Patient Management
September 22, 2020
New guidelines from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) advise against using polygenetic risk scores for routine patient management and update previous recommendations for assessing … [Read more...]
Testing Strategy
COVID-19 Retesting Should Be Pushed Back to 4 Weeks to Give Virus Ample Time to Shed
September 22, 2020
How long does it take a person infected with SARS-CoV-2 to finish shedding the virus? Coming up with the answer to this question to make scientifically sound decisions about not only the clinical … [Read more...]
Top of the News
CDC Withdraws Recommendation of Testing for Asymptomatic Individuals After Close Exposure to COVID-19
September 22, 2020
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) raised eyebrows on Aug. 28 when it revised its COVID-19 testing guidance to suggest that testing is not necessarily a must for asymptomatic … [Read more...]
Emerging Tests
New Initiative Seeks to Standardize SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Tests
September 22, 2020
When the pandemic began, antibody testing was looked to as the kind of ace in the hole that would not only resolve the COVID-19 testing shortage fast and for good but also pave the way for society to … [Read more...]
Emerging Tests
COVID-19 Antigen Tests Are Ready for Mass Utilization but Antigen Test Reporting Is Not
September 22, 2020
It will take something on the order of 200 million COVID-19 screening tests per month, as opposed to the 25 million being performed currently, to safely reopen the U.S., estimates a new report from … [Read more...]
Testing Strategy
Labs to HHS: Since We Can’t COVID-19 Test Everyone, Let Us Prioritize the Symptomatic
September 4, 2020
Labs continue to lack the resources necessary to meet the demands for timely COVID-19 testing. In July, industry groups called on the White House to take control and resolve, or at least allay the … [Read more...]
COVID-19
Laboratory Organizations Ask HHS for Permission to Focus Scarce Testing Resources on those in Medical Need
September 3, 2020
With no hope that manufacturers will pick up the slack and furnish the reagents, swabs, PPE and other desperately needed COVID-19 testing supplies before the end of the year, laboratories are in the … [Read more...]
Precision Medicine
New ACOG Guidelines Recommend cfDNA-Based NIPT for All Pregnancies, Not Just Risky Ones
August 29, 2020
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has revised its position on noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) and is now recommending prenatal aneuploidy screening for all pregnant … [Read more...]
