LabQ Histology Exercise 1: Histology: Optimizing Specimen Preservation: Mitigating Risk of Specimen Loss and Degradation of Bone Core Biopsies

This is an online activity in Clinical Chemistry that offers 2.0 continuing education (CMLE) credit that can be used to fulfill CMP requirements.

Jason Reardon, MD  

Department of Pathology 

Virginia Commonwealth University  

Richmond, VirginiaThis is an online activity in Clinical Chemistry that offers 2.0 continuing education (CMLE) credit that can be used to fulfill CMP requirements.

Jason Reardon, MD  

Department of Pathology 

Virginia Commonwealth University  

Richmond, Virginia 

Sadia Sayeed, MD 

Department of Pathology 

Virginia Commonwealth University  

Richmond, Virginia 

Primary Audience:

Phlebotomists, Laboratory Technologists, Laboratory Directors

Secondary Audience:

Pathologists, Clinical Scientists (Includes all sub-specialty areas), Students, Pathologist Assistants, Residents, and Students

Upon completion of this activity, you will be able to: 

·        analyze the trade-offs between different decalcification methods for bone biopsies, considering both clinical urgency and preservation of macromolecules, including DNA, RNA, and proteins, for ancillary testing;  

·        evaluate the importance of standardized preanalytic factors like fixative choice, cold ischemic time, and fixation duration in ensuring accurate breast biomarker testing results for diagnosis and treatment decisions; 

·        examine the importance of biomarker testing, particularly the impact of the results on patient care and personalized medicine; and 

·        explain the rationale behind and the implications of standardized guidelines for preanalytic factors in bone biopsy processing.