COVER STORIES

With renewed controversy about the value of screening tests like PSA, it seems clinical labs will increasingly face the assumption that overuse and wasteful testing is rampant. However, the current evidence on overuse of lab testing is slim. And even where evidence does exist, a clear picture has yet to form of how physicians and patients could make better decisions—especially about screening tests.

Which patients on long-term pain therapy should undergo urine drug monitoring, and by what methods and how often should they be tested? An expert panel recently made recommendations about these questions which they hope will provide a framework for standardizing urine drug monitoring in the treatment of chronic pain, and serve as a catalyst to advance research in this field.

SERIES ARTICLE

A number of concerns exist about the reliability of testosterone assays, especially when it comes to measuring free testosterone with homogenous assays. CDC, with broad input from various professional societies, is leading the Hormone Standardization Program with an initial focus on standardizing testosterone measurements, a initiative that will help labs produce more accurate results.

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INSIDE

Find out more about the 2012 Annual Meeting in our preview, including a Q&A with the organizing committee chair, Paolo Fortina, MD, PhD, a look at the plenary speakers, exhibitors at the Clinical Lab Expo, and special AACC Division events.

New research suggests that β-Cell function may persist decades after diagnosis of type 1 diabetes.

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