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Volume 7, Issue 5 (Suppl)
J Clin Exp Pathol
ISSN: 2161-0681 JCEP, an open access journal
Pathology Congress 2017
November 13-14, 2017
Page 26
conference
series
.com
NOVEMBER 13-14, 2017 OSAKA, JAPAN
14
th
Asia Pacific Pathology Congress
Theranostics in cytopathology to address the need for personalized medicine in healthcare
T
he field of cytopathology has evolved from basic Pap staining of tumors followed by H&E tissue diagnosis of disease to
the use of immunocytochemistry and complementary ancillary molecular diagnostics to aid in specifying the disease.
However, due to the sequencing of the human genome and the subsequent genomic revolution, the field of theranostics has
evolved.Theranostics is the coupling of companion diagnostic tools (in particular, molecular profiling) with specific therapeutic
drugs. This "personalized" approach to diagnosis allows the clinician to provide therapy based on specific genetic mutations of
the tumors from their patients. The FDA has dramatically increased the number of cleared/approved
in vitro
assays for patients
with genetic mutations that respond to drugs that prevent the expression of the mutations, such as tyrosine kinase inhibitors.
These alternative forms of therapy have dramatically increased the survival rate in patients with stage four and metastatic
cancer. It is imperative that pathologists and laboratory professionals determine which companion diagnostic assay should
be chosen and recommend the clinically actionable drugs tailored to their genetic mutation to the clinician. This change in
the scope of practice creates unprecedented opportunities to more accurately diagnose patients and guide the selection of
personalized therapies.
Biography
E Blair Holladay is the Chief Executive Officer of the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), USA. He has focused on globalization initiatives for the
medical laboratory community that include significant contributions to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) funded through the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention; strategic partnerships in laboratory medicine; corporate reorganization and management activities; mergers and acquisitions;
international outreach; external partnerships; health services research and delivery and also establishing the gold standard of certification for individuals within the
United States and worldwide.
Blair.Holladay@ascp.orgE Blair Holladay
American Society for Clinical Pathology, USA
E Blair Holladay, J Clin Exp Pathol 2017, 7:5 (Suppl)
DOI: 10.4172/2161-0681-C1-039