Report on the External Quality Assessment Scheme for Molecular Diagnostics in Korea (2017)

Abstract

Quality control for genetic analysis has become more important with a drastic increase in testing volume and clinical demands. The molecular diagnostics division of the Korean Association of Quality Assurance for Clinical Laboratory conducted two trials in 2017 on the basis of molecular diagnostics surveys, involving 53 laboratories. The molecular diagnostics surveys included 37 tests: gene rearrangement tests for leukemia (BCR-ABL1, PML-RARA, AML1-ETO, and TEL-AML1), genetic tests for Janus kinase 2, FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3-internal tandem duplication, FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3-tyrosine kinase domain, nucleophosmin, cancer-associated genes (KRAS, EGFR, KIT, and BRAF), hereditary breast and ovarian cancer genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2), Li-Fraumeni syndrome (TP53), Wilson disease (ATP7B), achondroplasia (FGFR3), hearing loss and deafness (GJB2), Avellino (TGFBI), multiple endocrine neoplasia 2 (RET), Huntington disease, spinocerebellar ataxia, spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy, mitochondrial encephalopathy with lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes, myoclonic epilepsy ragged red fibre, Leber hereditary optic neuropathy, Prader-raderd Angelman syndrome, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy, fragile X syndrome, apolipoprotein E genotyping, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase genotyping, and ABO genotyping. Molecular genetic surveys revealed excellent results for most participants. The external quality assessment program for genetic analysis in 2017 proved useful for continuous education and the evaluation of quality improvement.