Wednesday, September 23, 2026. 12 PM-1 PM ET
Roundtable presenters Dr. David Sacks MB, ChB, FRCPath, Chairman, Steering Committee National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program (NGSP), and Priya Sivaraman, PhD, Senior Technical Product Manager, Tosoh Bioscience.
Moderated by: Bob McGonnagle, Publisher, CAP TODAY
Thursday, September 24, 2026 11 AM-12 PM CT
This session explores the evolving role of RAS in precision oncology, from the biology of RAS mutations to the expanding landscape of targeted therapies. Through expert presentations, real-world case discussions, and interactive audience polling, participants will examine best practices for RAS biomarker testing across solid tumors, including lung, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers. The session will highlight practical considerations for tissue and liquid biopsy, strategies to address testing gaps, and the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration to ensure timely identification of patients who may benefit from RAS-targeted therapies.
Webinar presenters David Braxton, MD, Chief of Molecular Pathology Services, Hoag Family Cancer Institute & Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, and Carlos Becerra, MD, Research Director for Medical Oncology, Margaret Given Larkin Endowed Chair for Developmental Cancer Therapeutics, Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian.
Moderated by: Bob McGonnagle, Publisher, CAP TODAY
Wednesday, September 30, 2026. 1 PM-1:30 PM ET
Roundtable presenters John Longshore, PhD, Head of Scientific Affairs, Global Oncology Diagnostics, AstraZeneca, and Flora Berisha, MS, Executive Director, Global Head of Diagnostic Partnering and Development, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine, and Mark D. Ewalt, MD, Associate Medical Director for Laboratory Operations, Diagnostic Molecular Pathology, Molecular Diagnostics Service, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Isabel Preeshagul, DO, MBS, Thoracic Medical Oncologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Moderated by: Bob McGonnagle, Publisher, CAP TODAY
Tuesday, October 20, 2026 11 AM-12 PM ET
Hear experts review the biological and clinical significance of the HER2 expression continuum in breast tissue, providing a clearer understanding of how these variations might impact diagnosis, and discuss the emerging importance of documenting HER2-low and HER2-ultralow categories using a validated IHC assay.
Webinar presenters Keith Wharton, MD, PhD, Global Medical Affairs Leader–Pathology,
Roche Diagnostics Solutions, and Hannah Y. Wen, MD, PhD, Director, Breast Pathology Fellowship, Associate Team Leader, Breast Pathology Team, Attending Pathologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Moderated by: Bob McGonnagle, Publisher, CAP TODAY
May 2017—Is there any medical reason why a physician would ask the lab to run a complete blood count on cord blood? Does CAP checklist requirement HEM.23050 treat automated and manual differentials equally? That is, does the recommendation to report absolute counts apply also to manual differentials or only to automated differentials? What is the next step in resolving platelet clumping when it occurs in a citrate tube also?
April 2017—Our laboratory receives requests for breast predictive marker testing (estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, HER2, Ki-67) on biopsies of bone metastases. Is it appropriate to perform this testing on decalcified tissue? Is there a regulatory speed limit—whether a per day or a per hour “at the microscope” workload limit—on surgical pathology slide interpretations, similar to workload limits for cytology screening?
March 2017—Our hospital system is implementing Sysmex instruments with a focus on the accuracy of the absolute white blood cell values—use of the absolute neutrophil count and immature granulocytes with the WBC as markers for septicemia. I then became aware that the hospital purchased the St. John Sepsis v14 protocol, which lists 10 percent bands as one of the markers for septicemia. The Rumke for 10 percent is 4–16. Using bands is not consistent with reducing manual differentials and is not an accurate parameter to use. Are there other protocols using WBC/ANC?
February 2017—I have an oncology patient with a diagnosis of immune thrombocytopenia. The patient’s sample has been drawn in sodium citrate, EDTA K2, sodium heparin, and warm saline replacements, and a true platelet count cannot be obtained. Platelets clump in all tubes, and multiple platelet clumps are observed under the microscope. The patient doesn’t have thrombocytopenia. What else can I do?
January 2017—I have a technologist who is a recent graduate from a medical technology school. She has her BA but the school she attended did not offer an internship program. We are offering her one year of on-the-job training so she will be able to sit for her ASCP certification exam after completing the one year of training.
Q. Are there guidelines on microsatellite instability analysis by immunohistochemistry on colorectal adenocarcinomas? Specifically, should immunohistochemical stains for the mismatch repair enzymes be performed on all colorectal adenocarcinomas regardless of the clinical or pathological findings? A medical group recently requested these studies on all colorectal adenocarcinomas.
November 2016—As originally described, there are technically five Gleason patterns: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. However, since patterns 1 and 2 are never used, there are no Gleason scores 1 + 1 = 2, 1 + 2 = 3, 2 + 1 = 3, 2 + 2 = 4, 2 + 3 = 5, and 3 + 2 = 5. Why is this? Isn’t this an alteration of Gleason’s original classification concept? Furthermore, there are cases in which a biopsy may contain a few glands that are diagnostic of carcinoma but insufficient to assign an accurate Gleason score. Would it simply be best to make a descriptive comment to that effect?
October 2016—What are the guidelines for proper handling and processing of blood specimens collected in serum separator tubes? Are there regulations guiding the practice of taking additional blood samples from a patient even though there are no orders for the blood samples? These “just in case” specimens are sent to our laboratory by the emergency department when a port or catheter is placed in the patient. The ED’s reasoning is that it prevents a patient from being stuck twice if there is an order for blood tests later. Our lab has to either store the samples or process them (centrifuge or separate RBCs from serum) so they are ready in case an order is entered later. Should this practice be banned? Should we refuse to accept these samples?
September 2016—We know we can count fewer than 100 cells for a manual differential if there is a very low white cell count. But if the white cell count is very high, should we count more than 100 cells? Some references state that >30,000 WBC/µL require a 200 cell differential, others >50,000 WBC/µL, and many do not mention at all the need to increase above 100 cells counted.
August 2016—If you obtain a platelet count from a blood sample collected in a sodium citrate tube, the result is multiplied by 1.1 to correct for the volumetric difference in anticoagulant compared with EDTA. When you result the platelet count from the sodium citrate tube, is it a CAP requirement to attach a comment such as: “_#__ Results reported from blue top tube. The reference range and other method performance specifications have not been established or approved by FDA. Use results with caution.”
