Challenges in Pathology Specimen Processing in the New Era of Precision Medicine

Abstract

Context.—Precision therapies for patients with driver mutations can offer deep and durable responses that correlate with diagnosis, metastasis prognosis, and improvement in survival. The use of such targeted therapies will continue to increase, pushing us to change our traditional approaches. We needed to search for new tools to effectively integrate technological advancements into our practices because of their capability to improve the efficiency and accuracy of our diagnostic and treatment approaches. Perhaps nothing is as relevant as identifying and implementing new workflows for processing pathologic specimens and for improving communication of critical laboratory information to and from clinicians for appropriate care of patients in an efficient and timely manner. Objectives.—To define the gold standard in delivering the best care for patients, to identify gaps in the process, and to identify potential solutions that would improve our process, including gaps related to knowledge, skills, attitudes, and practices. Design.—We assembled a multidisciplinary team to systematically perform a gap analysis study to clarify the discrepancy between the current reality in pathology specimen processing and the desired optimal situation to deliver the results intended for patient care. Results.—A practical collaborative workflow for specimen management that seeks the cooperation of stakeholders in each medical discipline to provide guidelines in specimen collection, delivery, processing, and reporting of results with the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes is provided. Conclusions.—New tools are required to effectively integrate data-driven approaches in specimen processing to meet the new demands.