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Introduction: Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is used for monitoring of disease progression and treatment response in cancer patients. The aim was to compare the performance of chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay with electrochemiluminescence immunoassay for CEA. Methods: A total of 115 samples were collected during routine diagnostic, prognostic, and therapy monitoring procedures in patients with colorectal and pancreatic cancer. We used Architect i2000SR and Cobas E601 for CEA analysis in sera samples. Results: The correlation coefficient of 0.984 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.972-0.991) for results obtained on both platforms was observed for CEA ≤10 ng/mL group. Moreover, intercept of 0.9027 (95% CI: 0.705-1.099) and slope 0.8076 (95% CI: 0.765-0.8498) (p < 0.0001) were observed in this group. In CEA >10 ng/mL group, we observed slope = 1.1986 (95% CI: 1.1474-1.2498) (p < 0.0001), intercept = -11.69 (-17.53--5.84), and correlation coefficient = 0.985 (95% CI: 0.976-0.9914). Mean differences between assays in group ≤10 ng/mL and >10 ng/mL were 0.2066 (95% CI: 0.0019-0.4113) and -2.66 (95% CI: -10.10-4.76) ng/mL, respectively. Conclusion: Although there were differences, based on 20 days' precision tests, overall results showed a good analytical performance and correlation between CEA assays on Architect i2000SR and Cobas E601 platforms. Reference intervals appropriate for the method of CEA measurement should be used. The standardization and harmonization of serum CEA concentration assays are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To develop two ethical checklists to evaluate (i) management of ethical concerns in research projects and (ii) awareness of ethical conduct of healthcare laboratory professionals.Comprehensive discussion among the members of IFCC Task Force on Ethics based on pertinent literature.This Checklist for Clinical Research Projects should be useful to evaluate research proposals from an ethical perspective before submitting it to an IRB or its equivalent, thereby diminishing rejection rates and resulting in more time-effective projects. The checklist designed to evaluate the ethical conduct in laboratory medicine could be useful for self evaluation (internal audits) and for certification/accreditation processes performed by third parties.These checklists are simple but powerful tools useful to guide professionals to adhere to ethical principles in their practice, especially in developing countries where accredited ethics committees may be difficult to find. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: SCC (squamous cell carcinoma) antigen (SSCA), a tumor marker, is already used for the diagnosis and follow-up of carcinoma of the cervix and lungs. The aim of our study was the determination of SCCA concentration in 96 serum samples using CMIA (chemiluminesecent microparticle immnoassay) on an Architect i2000 (Abbott Diagnostics) and MEIA (microparticle enzyme immnoassay) on an IMx Chemistry Analyzer (Abbott Diagnostics)., Methods: In our investigation we used a CMIA (chemiluminesecent microparticle immnoassay) Architect i2000 and MEIA (microparticle enzyme immnoassay) Imx Chemistry Analyzer for SCCA determination., Results: All patients were hospitalized at the Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Department for Oncology at the University Clinics Center of Sarajevo. The normal serum range of SCCA should be < 0.1 microg/L. The quality control, precision and accuracy of the Architect i2000 were assessed. The quality control was done using quality control serums for low (X = 2.17 microg/L), medium (X = 10.23 microg/L), and high (X = 48.99 microg/L) range. The precision for the Architect i2000 has a CV of 3.44% to 4.44%. We established that the main difference between Architect i2000 and IMx was statistically significant at p < 0.05 according to Student's t-test. The correlation coefficient was r = 0.990. The some samples have higher concentrations on the Architect than on the IMx because the sensitivity of the Architect assay is high (< 0.1 microg/L)., Conclusions: The CMIA Architect technology is an applicable method significant in diagnostic of SCCA.