Book ReviewBOOK REVIEWS

Molecular Oncology Testing for Solid Tumors. A Pragmatic Approach

Anticancer Research January 2016, 36 (1) 479;
Molecular Oncology Testing for Solid Tumors. A Pragmatic Approach. Edited by M.O. Idowu, C.I. Dumur, C.T. Garrett. 2015, pp 742, Eur 124.79, ISBN: 978-3-319-16303-1. Springer International Publishing, Cham, Switzerland.

This text is designed to present an up-to-date practical approach to molecular testing in an easy to understand format. Emphasis is placed on molecular testing for solid tumors, while underscoring the following: i) the crucial role of pathologists in ensuring specimen adequacy for molecular testing; ii) current molecular assays/platforms (including next-generation sequencing); iii) clinical utility and limitations of biomarkers to enable effective communication with clinicians; iv) the importance of quality assurance metrics to ensure accurate and reproducible results; v) pitfalls in test interpretation (that may lead to False Positive or False Negative interpretations); vi) importance of using standard nomenclature, including exercises on variant (mutation) description; vii) regulatory affairs, coding and reimbursement.

The uniqueness of this text is the use of a standardized template for each of the molecular tests being discussed followed by a discussion of relevant quality assurance issues to ensure focused and efficient presentation of information.

Molecular Oncology Testing for Solid Tumors will enable readers to easily understand the Ordering, Processing, Interpretation, Reporting and the clinical Application (OPIRA) process of molecular testing or biomarkers.