Maria E. Arcila, MD, a pathologist and director of the Diagnostic Molecular Pathology Laboratory at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, highlights important considerations for selecting among molecular diagnostic tests for patients with lung cancer.

A number of considerations must be taken into account up front when selecting a molecular test, according to Arcila. Typically, molecular pathologists handle tissue samples that are notably small. That aside, it is not just the size of the sample, but the quality that must be considered, she says. 

For example, it is important to consider how much tumor there is in the biopsy that is being handled; when the sample size is small, it may not reach the required sensitivity.

The first decision needs to be centered on the amount of tissue in the sample in order to select the proper technology that can handle a small input. Afterwards, one needs to consider the sample size in order to determine the sensitivity of the assay.

It is also imperative to select an assay that is broad enough to provide all of the necessary answers. However, the more comprehensive assay and the more comprehensive the answer that one might receive from a molecular diagnostics test, the longer the time it takes to deliver the result, Arcila concludes.

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Maria E. Arcila, MD, highlights important considerations for selecting among molecular diagnostic tests for patients with lung cancer.

Dr. Arcila on Choosing Between Molecular Tests in Lung Cancer

Maria E. Arcila, MD, acting director, Diagnostic Molecular Pathology Laboratory, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the benefits of new molecular diagnostic platforms for the treatment of lung cancer.

As a lung cancer diagnosis is usually a made at a very late stage, the diagnosis is based on small biopsies, Arcila says. The small biopsies make it impossible to do additional testing, making further biopsy needed. Arcila says additional biopsies are risky for a patient.

New molecular diagnostic platforms allow for multiple tests to be done at once, allowing the physician to utilize resources more efficiently.

Arcila says another benefit of the new tests allows physicians to learn more about each patient’s tumor. This additional information will empower physicians to give a more personalized treatment to their patient, Arcila says.

View more from the 2014 Annual Lung Cancer Symposium

Maria E. Arcila, MD

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Dr. Arcila on Choosing Between Molecular Tests in Lung Cancer

Dr. Arcila on the Benefits of New Molecular Diagnostic Platforms for the Treatment of Lung Cancer