Archives of pathology & laboratory medicine
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Arch. Pathol. Lab. Med. · Sep 2013
ReviewLung cancer biomarkers: present status and future developments.
The publication of the "Molecular Testing Guideline for Selection of Lung Cancer Patients for EGFR and ALK Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors: Guideline From the College of American Pathologists, International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, and Association for Molecular Pathology" has now provided a guideline for biomarker testing for first-generation lung cancer tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Biomarker testing has forever altered the role of pathologists in the management of patients with lung cancer. Current, unresolved issues in the precision medicine of lung cancer will be addressed by the development of new biomarker tests, new drugs, and new test technologies and by improvement in the cost to benefit ratio of biomarker testing.
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Arch. Pathol. Lab. Med. · Sep 2013
Integrating rapid pathogen identification and antimicrobial stewardship significantly decreases hospital costs.
Early diagnosis of gram-negative bloodstream infections, prompt identification of the infecting organism, and appropriate antibiotic therapy improve patient care outcomes and decrease health care expenditures. In an era of increasing antimicrobial resistance, methods to acquire and rapidly translate critical results into timely therapies for gram-negative bloodstream infections are needed. ⋯ Integration of rapid identification and susceptibility techniques with antimicrobial stewardship significantly improved time to optimal therapy, and it decreased hospital length of stay and total costs. This innovative strategy has ramifications for other areas of patient care.