BACKGROUND: Testing for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations is an essential recommendation in guidelines for metastatic non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer, and is considered mandatory in European countries. However, in practice, challenges are often faced when carrying out routine biomarker testing, including access to testing, inadequate tissue samples and long turnaround times (TATs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: To evaluate the real-world EGFR testing practices of European pathology laboratories, an online survey was set up and validated by the Pulmonary Pathology Working Group of the European Society of Pathology and distributed to 64 expert testing laboratories. The retrospective survey focussed on laboratory organisation and daily EGFR testing practice of pathologists and molecular biologists between 2018 and 2021. RESULTS: TATs varied greatly both between and within countries. These discrepancies may be partly due to reflex testing practices, as 20.8% of laboratories carried out EGFR testing only at the request of the clinician. Many laboratories across Europe still favour single-test sequencing as a primary method of EGFR mutation identification; 32.7% indicated that they only used targeted techniques and 45.1% used single-gene testing followed by next-generation sequencing (NGS), depending on the case. Reported testing rates were consistent over time with no significant decrease in the number of EGFR tests carried out in 2020, despite the increased pressure faced by testing facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. ISO 15189 accreditation was reported by 42.0% of molecular biology laboratories for single-test sequencing, and by 42.3% for NGS. 92.5% of laboratories indicated they regularly participate in an external quality assessment scheme. CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight the strong heterogeneity of EGFR testing that still occurs within thoracic pathology and molecular biology laboratories across Europe. Even among expert testing facilities there is variability in testing capabilities, TAT, reflex testing practice and laboratory accreditation, stressing the need to harmonise reimbursement technologies and decision-making algorithms in Europe.

• Klíčová slova
• EGFR, Europe, molecular pathology, non-small-cell lung cancer, survey,
• MeSH
• erbB receptory genetika   MeSH
• laboratoře MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mutace MeSH
• nádory plic * diagnóza   genetika   patologie   MeSH
• nemalobuněčný karcinom plic * diagnóza   genetika   patologie   MeSH
• pandemie MeSH
• retrospektivní studie MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Evropa MeSH
• Názvy látek
• EGFR protein, human MeSH Prohlížeč
• erbB receptory MeSH

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the consequences in Europe of the COVID-19 outbreak on pathology laboratories orientated toward the diagnosis of thoracic diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A survey was sent to 71 pathology laboratories from 21 European countries. The questionnaire requested information concerning the organization of biosafety, the clinical and molecular pathology, the biobanking, the workload, the associated research into COVID-19, and the organization of education and training during the COVID-19 crisis, from 15 March to 31 May 2020, compared with the same period in 2019. RESULTS: Questionnaires were returned from 53/71 (75%) laboratories from 18 European countries. The biosafety procedures were heterogeneous. The workload in clinical and molecular pathology decreased dramatically by 31% (range, 3%-55%) and 26% (range, 7%-62%), respectively. According to the professional category, between 28% and 41% of the staff members were not present in the laboratories but did teleworking. A total of 70% of the laboratories developed virtual meetings for the training of residents and junior pathologists. During the period of study, none of the staff members with confirmed COVID-19 became infected as a result of handling samples. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a strong impact on most of the European pathology laboratories included in this study. Urgent implementation of several changes to the organization of most of these laboratories, notably to better harmonize biosafety procedures, was noted at the onset of the pandemic and maintained in the event of a new wave of infection occurring in Europe.

• Klíčová slova
• COVID-19, activity, biosafety, lung cancer, pathology,
• MeSH
• banky biologického materiálu organizace a řízení   statistika a číselné údaje   MeSH
• COVID-19 epidemiologie   prevence a kontrola   virologie   MeSH
• epidemický výskyt choroby MeSH
• laboratorní medicína metody   statistika a číselné údaje   trendy   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• molekulární patologie metody   statistika a číselné údaje   trendy   MeSH
• nemoci hrudníku diagnóza   terapie   MeSH
• odběr biologického vzorku metody   statistika a číselné údaje   MeSH
• omezování biologických rizik statistika a číselné údaje   MeSH
• pandemie MeSH
• předpověď MeSH
• průzkumy a dotazníky * MeSH
• SARS-CoV-2 izolace a purifikace   fyziologie   MeSH
• ústavní laboratorní služby statistika a číselné údaje   trendy   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• multicentrická studie MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Evropa epidemiologie   MeSH

Dendritic cell (DC) vaccination is an attractive approach to the treatment of patients with lymphoid tumors. To evaluate its feasibility, we have tested the functional properties of DC and T-lymphocytes in patients with treated and untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and follicular lymphoma (FL). Healthy volunteers were used both as controls and as a source of cells for allogeneic mixed leukocyte reaction (MLR). In these reactions, dendritic cells from both untreated and treated patients were comparable to dendritic cells from healthy volunteers. In all the untreated patients studied, autologous dendritic cells promoted the survival and proliferation of both CD4 and CD8 lymphocytes (though the proliferation response was much better in the CD4 subset), whereas only 3 out of 5 treated patients were able to mount this response with CD4 lymphocytes and 4 out of 5 with CD8 lymphocytes. In 3 out of 5 untreated patients, pulsing of DCs with tetanus toxoid promoted a better CD4 response than was achieved with unpulsed DCs, while none of 5 treated patients had an additional response after pulsing with tetanus toxoid. None of patients studied, either treated or untreated, had a better CD8 response to pulsed DCs than to unpulsed ones. During CD4 lymphocyte proliferation, more CD4(+)CD25(hi) lymphocytes were generated in both treated and untreated patients than in healthy controls. Poor proliferation of cytotoxic cells and preferential proliferation of CD4(+)CD25(hi) T-regulatory cells in response to self and/or foreign antigens might be one of the mechanisms responsible for immunosuppression and impaired tumor surveillance in patients with lymphoid malignancies.

• MeSH
• aktivní imunoterapie metody   MeSH
• CD antigeny metabolismus   MeSH
• chronická lymfatická leukemie farmakoterapie   imunologie   MeSH
• dendritické buňky imunologie   metabolismus   MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• folikulární lymfom farmakoterapie   imunologie   MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• neparametrická statistika MeSH
• referenční hodnoty MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• T-lymfocyty imunologie   metabolismus   MeSH
• test smíšené lymfocytární kultury MeSH
• výsledek terapie MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• klinické zkoušky kontrolované MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• srovnávací studie MeSH
• Názvy látek
• CD antigeny MeSH

Mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLC) of T-lymphocytes with dendritic cells is one of the basic tools for studying of immune reaction mechanisms. This work describes a new method of evaluation of allogeneic and autologous MLC by flow cytometry and differential gating. This method is based on fixed time acquisition of events and their sorting according to their forward and side scatter properties. Differential gating distinguishes populations of all living cells (R1), living non-proliferating cells (R2) and dead/apoptotic cells (R4). Addition of fluorescence microspheres (R3) enables the calculation of absolute number of cells in a given sample volume. Using the method of 7-AAD positive cells project into the exclusion, we have shown that approximately 90% of 7-AAD R4 gate. Moreover, there was an excellent correlation between the R1: R2 ratio and the percentage of cells positive for activation/proliferation marker CD71. The method of differential gating in its basic version does not require use of any fluorescent antibody and therefore is suitable for rapid screening of large number of samples at reasonable cost and without the use of radiolabeled nucleotides.

• MeSH
• CD antigeny analýza   MeSH
• dendritické buňky MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• průtoková cytometrie metody   MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• T-lymfocyty imunologie   MeSH
• test smíšené lymfocytární kultury metody   MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• anglický abstrakt MeSH
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• CD antigeny MeSH