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Launch Digital Edition

Webinars and Sponsored Roundtables — Register Now

Thursday, April 30, 2026, 11:00 AM–12:00 PM ET
Hear an expert discuss how Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) is utilizing
the oncoReveal® Nexus 21-gene panel to redefine turnaround time and actionable insights
in cancer care. Dr. Ewalt shares a perceptive look at the clinical need for rapid, front-line NGS sequencing, and how a unique, purpose built targeted NGS panel (Pillar Biosciences’ oncoReveal Nexus 21 gene Panel) was developed, validated and implemented clinically by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK-REACT) to complement their current comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) approach.

Webinar presenter Mark Ewalt, MD, Associate Medical Director for Laboratory Operations for Diagnostic Molecular Pathology in the Molecular Diagnostics Service, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, MSKCC.

Moderated by: Bob McGonnagle, Publisher, CAP TODAY

CAP TODAY does not endorse any of the products or services named within. The webinar is made possible by a special educational grant from Pillar Biosciences.

Register Now

Thursday, May 28, 2026, 1:00–2:00 PM ET
This session is designed to improve understanding and application of recent updates to synoptic pathology reporting protocols such as the latest Reporting Template for Reporting Results of Biomarker Testing of Specimens from Patients with Carcinoma of the Breast. These changes reflect evolving clinical guidelines that directly influence diagnostic accuracy and treatment selection in breast cancer care.

Webinar presenters Thaer Khoury, MD, FCAP, Chair, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Cente, and Colin Murphy,  CEO of mTuitive.

Moderated by: Bob McGonnagle, Publisher, CAP TODAY

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Subspecialties

Interactive Product Guides

All Issues

COVID testing capacity falls short as flu season nears

August 2020—As the need for COVID-19 testing grows well beyond that for hospital patients, clinical laboratories in mid-summer were again overwhelmed by demand while at the same time bracing for flu season. That was the gist of a July 10 webinar that brought together Gyorgy Abel, MD, PhD, medical director of clinical chemistry, molecular diagnostics, immunology, and point-of-care testing at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, Burlington, Mass.; Bob McGonnagle, CAP TODAY publisher; and moderator Steve Beuchaw, director of life science and medical device research, Wolfe Research.

Cytopathology in focus: Abnormal cervical screening tests: a personal approach

August 2020—If the past decade was directed toward aligning medicine with a personalized approach to therapy, this decade should further realize the implementation of health care decisions tailored to the patient. The updated 2019 ASCCP Risk-Based Management Consensus Guidelines for Abnormal Cervical Cancer Screening Tests and Cancer Precursors take a large step in that direction by relying on the input of personal data into a free online application that provides suggested management planning based on patient history and prior Pap/HPV test results.

Cytopathology in focus: New direction for thoracic small biopsy, cytology specimens

August 2020—Cytopathologists are keenly aware of the need to collect adequate cytologic tissue not only to arrive at a diagnosis but also to provide sufficient material for predictive and prognostic markers. This is especially true in the realm of non-small cell lung cancer, where biomarker testing is routinely used for the clinical management of patients with advanced-stage disease. The list of clinically relevant biomarkers in NSCLC is expanding. The most recent version of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology includes MET exon 14 skipping mutations and RET as therapeutic targets for advanced NSCLC, in addition to the well-established EGFR and BRAF mutations, ALK and ROS1 rearrangements, and PD-L1 expression.

From the President’s Desk: Virtual meetings, for now

August 2020—In the past six months, many of us have developed video conferencing skills to an extent we never imagined we would need. Until the COVID-19 pandemic led to lockdowns in several states, a great deal of expertise in Zoom and other similar platforms was not a high priority among many pathologists. I am proud that our community adapted quickly and skillfully to continue providing the best care possible to our patients.

Clinical pathology selected abstracts

August 2020—Bacterial contamination of platelets continues to be an important cause of transfusion-associated morbidity and mortality. From 2001 to 2016, there were 51 deaths reported to the FDA due to transfusion of apheresis products contaminated with bacteria, including 30 deaths since testing for bacterial contamination was mandated in 2004. This mandate was implemented through primary culture of single-donor apheresis platelets in 2004 and then prestorage pooled platelets (PSPPs) in 2007. The authors conducted a study to compare the platelet bacterial contamination and septic transfusion rates before and after introducing testing of pooled and apheresis platelets by primary culture over an extended time period. They cultured platelet aliquots at issue and evaluated transfusion reactions.

Anatomic pathology selected abstracts

August 2020—The authors conducted a study in which they reviewed 354 cases of malignant diffuse mesothelioma in women from a database of 2,858 histologically confirmed cases. Pleural predominance was noted with 78 percent of pleural malignant mesotheliomas (MM) and 22 percent of peritoneal MM. The pleural tumors consisted of 72 percent epithelioid, 19 percent biphasic, and nine percent sarcomatoid variant. The peritoneal tumors consisted of 82 percent epithelioid, 13 percent biphasic, and five percent sarcomatoid. The immunohistochemical profile was typical of what is well accepted and previously described for MM.

Molecular pathology selected abstracts

August 2020—Patients and families suspected of having Mendelian diseases, syndromes thought to be caused by a single mutated gene, often undergo comprehensive next-generation sequencing to determine the underlying pathogenic variant. Whole exome sequencing, in which the coding regions of all genes are analyzed, is usually the preferred testing method. However, this identifies the diagnostic pathogenic variant in only 25 to 52 percent of cases. Whole genome sequencing appears to confer only marginal benefit over whole exome sequencing, presumably because the pathogenic variants likely are not missed by whole exome sequencing but may be misinterpreted as nondiagnostic. Among the variants that are difficult to interpret are those that affect RNA by directly influencing transcription, or altering normal splicing, or by mediating their effects through chromatin.

Q&A column

Q. If a person died from an overdose, would the toxicology screen always show which drugs were in their system? Read answer.
Q. We are looking into using a scale to measure 24-hour urine samples, but we can’t find much literature about it. Is the variation between the measurement from a scale and actual volume clinically significant? What kind of validation is recommended? Read answer.

Newsbytes

August 2020—At Sonora Quest Laboratories, working backward has been a key strategy for leaping forward. Little by little, the Arizona-based integrated laboratory system has been retracing paper trails and assessing established processes as part of an ambitious plan to eliminate paper use across its seven commercial laboratories, 28 hospital labs, and more than 75 patient service centers.

Put It on the Board

August 2020—SpIntellx and CellNetix Pathology & Laboratories will collaborate to validate the SpIntellx HistoMapr-Breast Platform. The platform is the first in the companies’ larger efforts to use explainable artificial intelligence-assisted lab processes in the development of diagnostics, prognostics, therapeutic strategies, and drug development for tumor and non-tumor diseases.

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