May 2019—A new CAP Q-Probes benchmarking study on expression rates in invasive breast carcinoma will be available beginning in June.
The study, developed by the CAP Quality Practices Committee, is appropriate for anatomic pathology departments and laboratories that perform or interpret breast predictive markers, or do both. It will make it possible for them to compare the percentage of invasive breast cancer cases positive for estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, or HER2, with those of other laboratories.
The study will be available through August. The results will help laboratories address CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program checklist requirement ANP.22970, which says that for IHC and ISH tests performed on breast carcinoma that provide independent predictive information, the laboratory at least annually compares its patient results with published benchmarks and evaluates interobserver variability among the pathologists in the laboratory.
Laboratories participating in the Q-Probes will provide their 2018 annual data on the percent of cases positive for ER, PR, and HER2. Laboratories will also provide data on up to 50 current cases as they accrue so that expression rates can be stratified by histologic type and grade and patient age. Unlike other CAP Surveys, this study allows laboratories to compare their results on patient specimens with those of other laboratories.
Participating laboratories will be asked to complete an accompanying questionnaire that will make it possible for them to also benchmark predictive marker reporting practices, with emphasis on the ways in which laboratories comply with the ASCO/CAP guideline for ER, PR, and HER2.
To enroll or for more information about Q-Probes No. 193, call the CAP at 800-323-4040 option 1. Or order online at https://estore.cap.org/, Quality Management.