As genomic testing becomes more routine for cellpath labs, there is an increased need for assessment of the tumour content for the more complex tests in particular, in order to ensure there is enough tumour material to ensure the test result is valid.
Tumour tissue however is mixed, usually containing both tumour and non-tumour cells. Tumours are also heterogenous, with some areas more relevant for a given test than others. For this reason, the region of tumour that the DNA/ RNA is extracted from must be assessed to ensure it is suitable and contains a sufficient amount of tumour cells for genomic analysis.
This course has been developed for histopathologists, clinical scientists and biomedical scientists involved in the selection of tumour samples for genomic testing.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of the course participants should:
- Understand the reasons why we’re undertaking more genomic testing of solid tumours
- Understand where this is changing how tissue samples are collected and processed
- Know about the various assessments we make, why we do it, and how these influence the test that we select
- Understand how tissue assessment impacts on the clinical interpretation of the result.
- Understand how existing lab protocols may need to be adapted to ensure the right samples are submitted for genomic testing
- Be able to undertake systematic tumour tissue assessment of the suitability of samples for genomic tests via a practical session and review of knowledge