Oncology

Mayo Clinic pathologists, researchers, and a wide spectrum of allied health staff will be in Los Angeles, California, for the 109th United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology Meeting (USCAP). Visit us at booth #716 on March 2 - 4, 2020 to discuss how our testing can integrate with your practice.

In this month’s “Hot Topic,” Sounak Gupta, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., discusses selecting tissues and other tissue considerations for molecular testing. He also reviews tissue metrics and requirements, which differ based on test platforms. It is important to keep in mind that the details of tissue metrics change over time as they continue to evolve with technology.

This week's featured chromosomal microarray test in focus is presented by William Sukov, M.D., a pathologist and cancer geneticist at Mayo Clinic. He discusses when this test should be used for patients with renal tumors.

Rondell P. Graham, M.B.B.S., gives an overview of this test available through Mayo Clinic Laboratories. He discusses when this testing should be ordered, how this testing improves upon previous testing approaches, what clinical action can be taken due to the results of this testing.

The presence NTRK gene fusions is one of the eligibility requirements for the recently FDA-approved therapy Vitrakvi (larotrectinib), a therapy indicated in adult and pediatric patients with solid tumors regardless of the type of tumor. NTRK gene fusions have been described in many cancers at various frequencies including common cancers such as lung, thyroid, and colorectal cancers.

Neuro-oncology is a complex field undergoing rapid changes with the advancement and evolution of sophisticated genetic testing. Evidence continues to grow in support of broad molecular and cytogenetic analysis for patients with brain tumors.

Clinical studies at the Mayo Clinic have shown that this broad, but tumor-specific, genetic analysis has significant, and sometimes unexpected, clinical impact. The following case studies highlight the importance and clinical utility of these assays in diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy selection.

Melanoma, the skin cancer often associated with sun exposure, is on the rise and has no reliable cure. Mayo Clinic is at the forefront of these efforts. The Center for Individualized Medicine is unraveling the complex behavior of melanoma at the molecular level—to allow for treatment that better targets an individual's disease.

In this month’s “Hot Topic,” Alicia Algeciras-Schimnich, Ph.D., will provide you with valuable information regarding the utility of the prostate specific antigen test, and how the calculation of a prostate health index, or phi, can help to stratify a patient’s risk for prostate cancer and reduce unnecessary biopsies.

Useful For     Video Overview Clinical Information Several PSA isoforms have been identified that can further increase the specificity of PSA for prostate cancer.[...]