A blood-based test for methylation signatures in cell-free DNA shows high specificity, sensitivity, and accurately predicts tumor of origin for multiple cancer types.

Does your lab perform annual/periodic carryover assessment of analyzers with automatic pipetting systems? The CAP All Common Checklist states that labs should evaluate for carryover as part of the initial evaluation of the instrument and after major maintenance/repair. Respondents are split, however—some basically follow the CAP guidelines, but others don’t. One person in the latter group explains that, after an instrument’s initial evaluation, carryover testing only really needs to be done when a new test is added to the analyzer menu or potentially after replacement of automatic pipettor seals or probes.

Errors caused by antigen excess can be so extreme that a sample with grossly elevated analyte concentration can be mistaken for normal.