Practical aspects & pitfalls in molecular diagnosis of brain tumors

This “Specialty Testing” webinar will address practical aspects and pitfalls in the molecular diagnosis of brain tumors. The increasing understanding of the molecular biology of brain tumors led to the incorporation of molecular parameters into their classification for the first time in 2016, which was a paradigm shift from morphology-based diagnosis into integrated diagnosis of many brain tumor types. Three types of molecular parameters have been incorporated into the 2016 classifications, including mutations, gene fusions, and copy number variants. These parameters can be evaluated using four main testing platforms. All molecular testing platforms have factors that impact testing in the pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical phases. These factors will be discussed during the presentation and highlighted through clinical cases to illustrate the pitfalls in brain tumor molecular diagnosis encountered in the clinical practice here at Mayo Clinic.

Presentation

Presenter

Cristiane (Cris) Ida, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

Learning objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

• List factors that impact molecular diagnosis of brain tumors.
• Explain how to select platforms for molecular testing of brain tumors.
• Improve the ability to interpret molecular test results and perform molecular diagnosis of brain tumors.

Intended audience

This webinar is designed for oncologists, neurologists, pathologists, genetic counselors, and laboratory technologists.

Learn more about our testing

Questions?

Contact us: mcleducation@mayo.edu