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Webinars and Sponsored Roundtables — Register Now

Tuesday, November 3, 2026, 1 PM-2 PM ET
Hear an expert discuss the challenges of detecting NRG1 fusions and how RNA-based testing can support more comprehensive fusion identification in clinical practice.

Webinar presenter Benjamin Weinberg, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Attending Physician
specializing in gastrointestinal medical oncology

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

Moderated by: Bob McGonnagle, Publisher, CAP TODAY

Register Now

Tuesday, November 10, 2026, 1 PM-2 PM ET
Join us for a session to help improve diagnostic accuracy in your practice when scoring HER2 IHC 0 with faint, incomplete membrane staining in ≤10% of tumor cells vs IHC 0 with no membrane staining detected in patients with mBC.

Webinar presenter Jeffrey Gregg, MD, University of Nevada

CAP TODAY does not endorse any of the products or services named within. This program is being sponsored by Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. and AstraZeneca. The speaker is being compensated for the presentation. The program is not CME accredited and may not be used for CME accreditation.

Moderated by: Bob McGonnagle, Publisher, CAP TODAY

Register Now

Monday, November 16, 2026, 12:30 PM-2 PM ET
Hear experts discuss a multidisciplinary approach to oncopathology for HER2
assessments for solid tumors in the absence of a companion diagnostic.

Webinar presenters Funda Meric-Bernstam, MD, Chair, Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics Medical Director, Institute for Personalized Cancer Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, and Emina E. Torlakovic, MD, PhD, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Canadian Biomarker Quality Assurance, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, and Carol Cheung, MD, PhD, JD, FRCPC, Deputy Director, Canadian Biomarker Quality, Assurance—Programme canadien d’assurance de la qualité des biomarqueurs

CAP TODAY does not endorse any of the products or services named within. This program is being sponsored by Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. and AstraZeneca. The speaker is being compensated for the presentation. The program is not CME accredited and may not be used for CME accreditation.

Moderated by: Bob McGonnagle, Publisher, CAP TODAY

Register Now

Wednesday, December 9, 2026, 12 PM-1 PM ET
Hear an expert pathologist discuss the role of HER2 IHC testing and scoring in solid tumors including endometrial, ovarian, cervical, bladder, non-small cell lung, colorectal, and biliary cancers

Webinar presenter Michelle Shiller, DO, MSPT, Baylor Sammons Cancer Center; Fulgent Genetics; Texas Cancer Interception Institute

CAP TODAY does not endorse any of the products or services named within. This program is intended for US healthcare professionals. This program is being sponsored by AstraZeneca. The speaker is being compensated for the presentation. The program is not CME accredited and may not be used for CME accreditation.

Moderated by: Bob McGonnagle, Publisher, CAP TODAY

Register Now

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Q&A column

Q&A column

Q. What can laboratories expect to see after a medication such as Narcan is given for an opioid overdose? Read answer.
Q. There are conflicting views among my colleagues regarding the meaning of initial competency assessment. Some think that using a training checklist for new staff counts as the initial competency assessment because we are signing off that staff are competent to perform patient testing and report results. Others believe an initial competency assessment is done shortly after training is completed, followed by the mid-cycle/six-month competency assessment and annual competency assessment. Please clarify. Read answer.
Q. How do you calculate RDW-SD and RDW-CV values in dimorphic anemia cases on the Sysmex XN-3000? Most of the dimorphic anemia cases report a masked parameter. Read answer.

Q&A column

Q. What is the minimum cutoff value for total nucleated cells and red blood cells in body fluids after which we need to perform cytospin? Read answer.
Q. We treat all elevated troponins as critical values that necessitate a phone call to the ordering physician and documentation on the patient’s chart. Is this necessary? How does it affect patient treatment? Read answer.

Q&A column

Q. Is the evaluation of gene copies by RT-PCR or multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification a qualitative or quantitative assay? Copy number analysis of genes or chromosomes determines a numerical value, with a normal autosomal count being two. However, an FDA-approved microarray test (CytoScan Dx assay, Thermo Fisher Scientific) is labeled as a qualitative assay for the detection of copy number variations. Read answer.
Q. How does using sodium heparin, in an attempt to reduce EDTA-induced platelet clumps, affect the platelet count? Read answer.
Q. How do you know whether thyroid-stimulating hormone isoforms have been measured in an assay when the TSH levels are very high and free T4 is considerably less than the reference interval (i.e. less than 50 percent of the reference interval)? Read answer.

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.

Q&A column

Q. Is it acceptable for a clinical laboratory to calculate ionized (free) calcium if calcium ion-selective electrode is not available? Are results of calculated ionized (free) calcium of acceptable accuracy in clinical practice? And what is the recommended formula for performing this calculation? Read answer.
Q. Under checklist requirement COM.04250 “Comparability of Instruments and Methods —Nonwaived Testing,” what is the minimum number of samples that should be analyzed and which acceptance criteria should be used for the comparison? In addition, what parameters in the complete blood count do not apply for comparison purposes?
Read answer.
Q. I read an article about phlebotomy that stated for proper patient care, the recommended maximum number of blood draw attempts is four. The hospital at which I work recently implemented a procedure in which the nurses perform blood draws, instead of laboratory personnel. The procedure requires a nurse to attempt a blood draw twice and, if not successful, ask another nurse, and then ask the nursing supervisor before finally calling the laboratory. This policy has been difficult for hospital staff, and I feel terrible for patients who get stuck numerous times. Can you provide feedback that I can use to express my concerns to hospital administration? Read answer.

Q&A column

Q. Are there high-specificity IHC stains for diagnosing mesothelioma that differ from those recommended in the “Guidelines for pathologic diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma: 2012 update of the consensus statement from the International Mesothelioma Interest Group”? Read answer.
Q. For our hospital tissue and blood committee, we would like to expand the tissue component to look at more preoperative versus postoperative diagnoses (acute appendicitis, for example) and anything else that should be evaluated, such as adequacy of tissue and blood samples. Is there a resource that provides a list of tissue-related quality metrics that we can evaluate?
Read answer.

Q&A column

Q. Can you provide a current reference for the various modifications of transfused red blood cells — for example, irradiation and white cell depletion — and their indications? Read answer.
Q. In the context of allowable error relative to the immature platelet fraction test, is the analytical measurement range applicable to the IPF?
Read answer.
Q. What is the normal random plasma glucose value? Read answer.

Q&A column

Q. For the population with diabetes, what can the clinical laboratory do to promote evidence-based testing and monitoring for chronic kidney disease? Read answer.
Q. What are the proficiency testing enrollment requirements if an analyte is tested in multiple locations within the laboratory? Read answer.
Q. With regard to specimens from oncology patients exhibiting hyperleukocytosis, the Beckman Coulter DxH 800 analyzer used by our laboratory autocorrects the RBCs, but the lab is still seeing errors on the indices (hemoglobin, MCV). What is the best way to correct for potential WBC interference on the RBC indices? Read answer.

Q&A column

Q. Is there a place for procalcitonin testing alongside PCR testing on the BioFire system? Read answer.
Q. We are looking into validation methods for lower breakpoints for carbapenems. The CDC has banks of organisms available to run on our Vitek 2 (BioMerieux). Are there guidelines on which organisms to include and how many times to test? Read answer.

Q&A column

Q. Does the CAP have recommendations regarding diagnostic criteria for evaluating HER2 in colorectal carcinoma? Read answer.

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