List Price: $219
Credits: 6.0 CMLE
Course Director:
Martin Fleisher, PhD, FACB
Chief, Clinical Chemistry
Chairman, Department of Clinical Laboratories
Attending Clinical Chemist, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
A physician calls the laboratory and says, “The patient’s CEA is elevated, but the patient does not have cancer. What does the CEA result mean and what should I tell the patient?” Would you be able to answer the question correctly and confidently, maintaining physician confidence in the laboratory and not stressing the patient? If you are charged with analyzing tumor markers or want to learn more about this challenging topic, this interactive session is for you! You’ll begin with an introduction to tumor markers and biomarkers, followed by a discussion of the differences among tumor markers, biomarkers and circulating tumor cells and the latest recommended clinical uses of each, to provide a greater understanding of why certain tests are ordered for specific cancers. An important checklist will help you work through possible technical complications caused by physiological factors such as coagulopathies, heterophile, and HAMA interferences. You’ll learn the requirements of tumor marker assay validation and gain insight into the analytical imprecision of certain tumor marker assays and the effect on patient care. Plus, you’ll hear a presentation on the latest technology for monitoring patients with advanced cancer and new technology that could change tumor marker and circulating tumor cell analyses.
Case studies related to the use of tumor markers in various cancers will be discussed throughout the workshop.
Following this workshop, you will be able to:
- Explain the use of tumor markers and biomarkers in detecting cancer and monitoring the course of the disease
- Describe tumors markers that have clinical meaning and are FDA-approved for use in the clinical laboratory
- Discuss technical issues related to assay interference and manage difficult analytical problems
- Interpret tumor marker data as relates to the total clinical picture of the patient
- Describe new and future tumor marker methodology