Pineault Lynnette, Valencia Karla, Buhay Jennifer, Brown Alexandra, Ziemnik Suzanne, Kelly Melissa, Morgante James, Datta Mitra Ananya, Yanamura Lindsay, Gilliland Marie, Ferea Amy, Kim Joseph
HealthPartners, Bloomington, MN, United States.
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States.
Am J Clin Pathol. 2025 Jun 3;163(6):926-935. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/aqaf028.
Cancer biomarker testing is a critical element in precision oncology, guiding treatment decisions and improving patient outcomes. However, the complexity and variability of biomarker testing processes present significant challenges for cancer centers, often leading to delays and inefficiencies that can compromise care quality. The American Society for Clinical Pathology explored the concept of a novel laboratory professional role: the cancer biomarker testing navigator (BTN).
This study explored the feasibility and impact of the BTN role on laboratory operations and workflows through a 3-phase project consisting of a quantitative needs assessment, qualitative focus group discussions, and a short-term feasibility pilot conducted at 2 cancer centers.
The needs assessment revealed that many laboratories lack dedicated staff for coordinating biomarker testing, leading to operational inefficiencies. The roundtable discussions highlighted common challenges in biomarker testing and identified potential benefits of the BTN role, such as improved communication, better tracking of send-out tests, and enhanced task efficiency. The feasibility pilot demonstrated that BTNs could coordinate multigene next-generation sequencing panels and expedite key steps to ensure optimal preanalytical processes, reduce delays in testing, and smooth operations. The BTN role represents a feasible and beneficial addition to pathology laboratories that addresses key operational challenges in cancer biomarker testing and offers a promising solution to streamline laboratory operations, improve multidisciplinary communication, and enhance patient care coordination.
Further exploration is warranted to refine the BTN role and assess its long-term sustainability in and impact on diverse laboratory settings.
癌症生物标志物检测是精准肿瘤学的关键要素，可指导治疗决策并改善患者预后。然而，生物标志物检测过程的复杂性和变异性给癌症中心带来了重大挑战，常常导致延误和效率低下，进而可能影响医疗质量。美国临床病理学会探讨了一种新型实验室专业角色的概念：癌症生物标志物检测导航员（BTN）。
本研究通过一个分三个阶段的项目，探讨了BTN角色对实验室运营和工作流程的可行性及影响，该项目包括定量需求评估、定性焦点小组讨论，以及在2个癌症中心进行的短期可行性试点。
需求评估显示，许多实验室缺乏专门负责协调生物标志物检测的人员，导致运营效率低下。圆桌讨论突出了生物标志物检测中的常见挑战，并确定了BTN角色的潜在益处，如改善沟通、更好地跟踪外送检测以及提高任务效率。可行性试点表明，BTN能够协调多基因下一代测序检测板，并加快关键步骤，以确保最佳的分析前流程，减少检测延误并使操作顺畅。BTN角色是病理实验室一项可行且有益的补充，可解决癌症生物标志物检测中的关键运营挑战，并为简化实验室运营、改善多学科沟通以及加强患者护理协调提供了一个有前景的解决方案。
有必要进一步探索，以完善BTN角色，并评估其在不同实验室环境中的长期可持续性及其影响。
