Molecular Testing, Turnaround Time, and Response Assessment

The moderator calls testing the thing that makes everything else possible and asks how practices test newly diagnosed and relapsed disease, and how long results take. One panelist describes the testing process at his institution for NPM1 and KMT2A as well timing to receive the results. Whether to wait for results depends on the patient. The panelist also urges practices to make sure RNA testing is included, since community panels may not check it automatically. The second panelist says the community sees more variability in who orders testing and states that the hematopathologist and the clinician need to work together. The moderator adds that no single test returns every answer, so redundant testing is still needed. The segment ends on discussion around response assessment. One panelist describes the window in which a patient looks and feels better while the marrow can appear to show more immature cells, because the process of differentiation has begun in the bone marrow, and cautions clinicians not to bail from therapy too early.