COVER STORIES

Risk Management for Clinical Labs
As CLIA Turns 20, A New QC Paradigm Lies Ahead for Labs
By Bill Malone

Though lab directors manage risks in their labs every day, CLSI is working on guidelines that will formalize risk management and possibly open up a new way to meet CLIA QC requirements.

Tissue of Origin Test for Metastatic Cancer
Is This the Beginning of Genomic-based Cancer Analysis?
By Gina Rollins

Despite advances in laboratory and imaging studies, identification of a patient’s primary tumor site remains elusive in more than 70% of cases. Now FDA’s recent clearance of a first of its kind test to determine the original tumor site may improve treatment options.   

SERIES ARTICLE

Circulating Tumor Cells
A New Opportunity for Therapeutic Management of Cancer Patients
By Martin Fleisher, PhD, FACB

In the metastatic process, tumor cells break away from the primary tumor and traverse the circulation to colonize distant organs. Emerging analytical techniques have enabled the analysis of these circulating tumor cells, bringing a new opportunity for labs to have a significant impact on therapeutic management of cancer patients.  

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