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Introduction: Point of care (POC) analyzers are an integral part of the patient care. Transfuse can be an emergency decision, not being a benign act, it is necessary to ensure that the hemoglobin value measured by the POC are comparable with the reference analyzer. The objective is to compare the analytical performance of three POCs: ABL800 Flex, Hemocue and iSTAT and a central laboratory analyzer: XN‐10 and the impact on the transfusion decision. Methods: An in vitro study was performed in 50 patients for whom a hemogram had been prescribed on the XN‐10, the hemoglobin determination was performed in parallel on the three POCs. Then, retrospective study was performed to compare the hemoglobin values returned for matched samples in routine practice, 5505 for ABL800 Flex, 55 for Hemocue and 70 for iSTAT were analyzed. Results: In vitro study shows systematic biases in the measurement of hemoglobin between the different analyzers, overestimation for the ABL800 Flex and the Hemocue, underestimation for the iSTAT. These biases are accentuated in current practice for iSTAT but decreased for ABL800 Flex. In the transfusion decision range from 70 to 100 g/L, there were 8.6% of clinically discordant results between the reference method and ABL, 34.8% for Hemocue and 21.4% for iSTAT. Conclusion: In addition to systematic biases, many additional factors may be involved for variation in hemoglobin measurement with POC. Thus, in the case of urgent transfusion decisions, sending a hemogram on a central laboratory analyzer seems to be essential, while being compatible with a life‐threatening emergency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to standardize cellular hematology practices, the French-speaking Cellular Hematology Group (Groupe Francophone d'Hématologie Cellulaire, GFHC) focused on Perls' stain. A national survey was carried out, leading to the proposal of recommendations on insoluble iron detection and quantification in bone marrow. The criteria presented here met with a "strong professional agreement" and follow the suggestions of the World Health Organization's classification of hematological malignancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is an approved noninvasive biomarker to test for the presence of EGFR mutations at diagnosis or recurrence of lung cancer. However, studies evaluating ctDNA as a noninvasive "real-time" biomarker to provide prognostic and predictive information in treatment monitoring have given inconsistent results, mainly due to methodological differences. We have recently validated a next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach to detect ctDNA. Using this new approach, we evaluated the clinical usefulness of ctDNA monitoring in a prospective observational series of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).Methods and Findings: We recruited 124 patients with newly diagnosed advanced NSCLC for ctDNA monitoring. The primary objective was to analyze the prognostic value of baseline ctDNA on overall survival. ctDNA was assessed by ultra-deep targeted NGS using our dedicated variant caller algorithm. Common mutations were validated by digital PCR. Out of the 109 patients with at least one follow-up marker mutation, plasma samples were contributive at baseline (n = 105), at first evaluation (n = 85), and at tumor progression (n = 66). We found that the presence of ctDNA at baseline was an independent marker of poor prognosis, with a median overall survival of 13.6 versus 21.5 mo (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.82, 95% CI 1.01-3.55, p = 0.045) and a median progression-free survival of 4.9 versus 10.4 mo (adjusted HR 2.14, 95% CI 1.30-3.67, p = 0.002). It was also related to the presence of bone and liver metastasis. At first evaluation (E1) after treatment initiation, residual ctDNA was an early predictor of treatment benefit as judged by best radiological response and progression-free survival. Finally, negative ctDNA at E1 was associated with overall survival independently of Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) (HR 3.27, 95% CI 1.66-6.40, p < 0.001). Study population heterogeneity, over-representation of EGFR-mutated patients, and heterogeneous treatment types might limit the conclusions of this study, which require future validation in independent populations.Conclusions: In this study of patients with newly diagnosed NSCLC, we found that ctDNA detection using targeted NGS was associated with poor prognosis. The heterogeneity of lung cancer molecular alterations, particularly at time of progression, impairs the ability of individual gene testing to accurately detect ctDNA in unselected patients. Further investigations are needed to evaluate the clinical impact of earlier evaluation times at 1 or 2 wk. Supporting clinical decisions, such as early treatment switching based on ctDNA positivity at first evaluation, will require dedicated interventional studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]