This enduring CME/CMLE-accredited webcast focuses on laboratory readiness for cancer biomarker testing, with an in-depth emphasis on molecular testing. Led by expert pathologists and laboratory professionals, this webcast leverages real-world experience to help laboratories implement, optimize, and sustain accurate, efficient, and compliant molecular testing in modern oncology care.
Faculty discuss best practices for pre-analytic processes and tissue stewardship, workflow optimization, somatic variant classification and reporting, disease-specific order sets and reflex pathways, and biomarker reporting that clearly communicates therapy-relevant findings. Participants will also explore operational, technical, informatics, and regulatory considerations that support high-quality molecular biomarker testing.
This webcast is designed for pathologists, laboratory leaders, and laboratory professionals seeking practical strategies to strengthen molecular testing capabilities, improve laboratory operations, and support high-quality patient care.
Course topics include:
- Tissue stewardship
- Pre-analytic processes
- Workflow optimization
- Somatic variant classification and reporting
- Disease-specific order sets and reflex pathways
- Biomarker reporting
- Laboratory readiness for molecular testing
Target Audience
This activity has been designed to meet the educational needs of pathologists and laboratory professionals.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this activity, you will be able to:
- Identify best practices for pre-analytic processes and tissue stewardship, including tumor cellularity assessment and dissection techniques.
- Describe considerations regarding automation and workflow optimization to improve turnaround time and workload distribution.
- Explain processes and informatics tools that support somatic variant classification and reporting, including consistent handling of variants of uncertain significance (VUS).
- Describe implementation considerations for disease-specific order sets and reflex pathways that align with test availability, payer documentation needs, and operational capacity.
- Discuss best practices for reporting biomarker test results that prioritize clarity, explicitly state therapy-relevant findings, and align narrative and synoptic elements.
Faculty
Blake C. Burgher
Pathology Administrator
Advanced Molecular Diagnostics & Cytogenetics Laboratories
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Adrian M. Dubuc, Ph.D., FACMG
Vice Chair for Clinical Research (Cytogenetics/Genomics),
Associate Professor of Oncology,
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Faculty Disclosures
Blake C. Burgher and Adrian M. Dubuc have no financial relationships to disclose.
Accreditation Statement
The American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education (CME) for physicians.
Credit Designation Statement
The ASCP designates this activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)â„¢. Physicians should claim only credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
ASCP designates this activity for a maximum of 1.0 CMLE credit. This activity meets CMP and state re-licensure requirements for laboratory personnel.
For questions regarding CME credit, please contact ASCP Customer Service at 1-800-267-2727, option 2, in the US & Canada or internationally at access code + 3-1-312-541-4890. Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm CT.
Method of Participation
To complete the activity and receive credit, the participant must participate in the activity. CME certificates will be provided online.
Commercial Support
This activity is supported by an independent educational grant from AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals.