Nationwide differences in cytology fixation and processing methods and their impact on interlaboratory variation in PD-L1 positivity.

ABSTRACT: Programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) immunostaining, which aids clinicians in decision-making on immunotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, is sometimes performed on cytological specimens. In this study, differences in cytology fixation and cell block (CB) processing between pathology laboratories were assessed, and the influence of these differences on interlaboratory variation in PD-L1 positivity was investigated. Questionnaires on cytology processing were sent to all Dutch laboratories. Information gathered from the responses was added to data on all Dutch NSCLC patients with a mention of PD-L1 testing in their cytopathology report from July 2017 to December 2018, retrieved from PALGA (the nationwide network and registry of histo- and cytopathology in the Netherlands).

SUBMITTER: Koomen BM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10067664 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature