Home Striving for a pragmatic contribution of biomarkers results to lifelong health care
Article
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Striving for a pragmatic contribution of biomarkers results to lifelong health care

  • Simona Ferraro EMAIL logo , Cristina Cereda , Gianvincenzo Zuccotti , Santica Marcovina , Mario Plebani ORCID logo and Elia Mario Biganzoli EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: February 17, 2023

Abstract

Background

The increased role of preventive medicine in healthcare and the rapid technological advancements, have deeply changed the landscape of laboratory medicine. In particular, increased investments in newborn screening tests and policies have been observed. Aim of this paper is to characterize how laboratory professionals engaged in clinical chemistry or newborn screening, in collaboration with experts in econometric, bioinformatics, and biostatistics may address a pragmatic use of laboratory results in the decision-making process oriented toward improvement of health care outcomes.

Content

The effectiveness of biomarkers on healthcare depends on several factors such as analytical performance, prevalence of the disease, integration of the test within the diagnostic algorithm, associated costs, and social/economic impact of false positive and false negative results. Cost-effectiveness analysis needs to be performed and reliability achieved, by overcoming analytical pitfalls and by improving interpretative criteria. These are challenging issues common to clinical chemistry and newborn screening tests. Following the experience in clinical chemistry, one of the main issues to be approached in newborn screening tests, is the lack of harmonization of results obtained by different methods and the limited healthcare effectiveness.

Summary

The focus on prevention is a crucial opportunity for laboratory medicine to change how to approach the effectiveness of biomarkers on healthcare. The consolidation within clinical laboratories of professionals with different technical and methodological expertise coupled with the need to produce and manage large sets of data, require the cooperation of professionals from other disciplines to characterize the impact of the tests on epidemiological outcomes for health care policy making process.


Corresponding authors: Simona Ferraro, Department of Pediatrics, Center of Functional Genomics and Rare Diseases, Buzzi Children’s Hospital, Milan, Italy, E-mail: ; and Elia Mario Biganzoli, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences L. Sacco, Medical Statistics Unit, “Luigi Sacco” University Hospital, University of Milan, Milan, Italy, E-mail:
Mario Plebani and Elia Mario Biganzoli contributed equally to this work.
  1. Research funding: None declared.

  2. Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  3. Competing interests: Authors state no conflict of interest.

  4. Informed consent: Not applicable.

  5. Ethical approval: Not applicable.

References

1. Ferraro, S, Biganzoli, EM, Castaldi, S, Plebani, M. Health technology assessment to assess value of biomarkers in the decision-making process. Clin Chem Lab Med 2022;60:647–54. https://doi.org/10.1515/cclm-2021-1291.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

2. Cornel, MC, Rigter, T, Weinreich, SS, Burgard, P, Hoffmann, GF, Lindner, M, et al.. A framework to start the debate on neonatal screening policies in the EU: an expert opinion document. Eur J Hum Genet 2014;22:12–7. https://doi.org/10.1038/ejhg.2013.90.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

3. Šimerka, P. Council recommendation of 8 June 2009 on an action in the field of rare diseases. Available from: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2009:151:0007:0010:EN:PDF [Accessed 1 Dec 2022].Search in Google Scholar

4. Ioannidis, JPA, Bossuyt, PMM. Waste, leaks, and failures in the biomarker pipeline. Clin Chem 2017;63:963–72. https://doi.org/10.1373/clinchem.2016.254649.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

5. Hancock, M. Prevention is better than cure: our vision to help you live well for longer. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prevention-is-better-than-cure-our-vision-to-help-you-live-well-for-longer [Accessed 11 Nov 2022].Search in Google Scholar

6. Oxenreiter, M. Health equity: what it means, why we care and what you can do. Available from: https://diatribe.org/health-equity-what-it-means-why-we-care-and-what-you-can-do [Accessed 11 Nov 2022].Search in Google Scholar

7. Ferraro, S, Bussetti, M, Panteghini, M. Serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing for early detection of prostate cancer: managing the gap between clinical and laboratory practice. Clin Chem 2021;67:602–9. https://doi.org/10.1093/clinchem/hvab002.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

8. Knapkova, M, Hall, K, Loeber, G. Reliability of neonatal screening results. Int J Neonatal Screen 2018;4:1–55. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijns4030028.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

9. Ferraro, S, Bussetti, M, Bassani, N, Rossi, RS, Incarbone, GP, Bianchi, F, et al.. Definition of outcome-based prostate-specific antigen (PSA) thresholds for advanced prostate cancer risk prediction. Cancers (Basel) 2021;13:3381. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13143381.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

10. Ferraro, S, Biganzoli, D, Rossi, RS, Palmisano, F, Bussetti, M, Verzotti, E, et al.. Individual risk prediction of high grade prostate cancer based on the combination between total prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and free to total PSA ratio. Clin Chem Lab Med 2023;61:1327–34. https://doi.org/10.1515/cclm-2023-0008.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

11. Carter, HB, Albertsen, PC, Barry, MJ, Etzioni, R, Freedland, SJ, Greeneet, KL, et al.. Early detection of prostate cancer: AUA guideline. American Urological Association; 2018. Available from: https://www.auanet.org/guidelines/prostate-cancer-earlydetection-guideline [Accessed 11 Apr 2021].Search in Google Scholar

12. Fischer, KE, Grosse, SD, Rogowski, WH. The role of health technology assessment in coverage decisions on newborn screening. Int J Technol Assess Health Care 2011;27:313–21. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0266462311000468.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

13. Mak, CM, Lee, HC, Chan, AY, Lam, CW. Inborn errors of metabolism and expanded newborn screening: review and update. Crit Rev Clin Lab Sci 2013;50:142–62. https://doi.org/10.3109/10408363.2013.847896.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

14. IFCCwebinar_CLIR as a global IT platform for precision newborn screening. Available from: https://news.mayocliniclabs.com [Accessed 21 Nov 2022].Search in Google Scholar

15. Ferraro, S, Mozzi, R, Panteghini, M. Tumor marker ordering: do not lose control a prospective clinical trial. Am J Clin Pathol 2015;144:649–58. https://doi.org/10.1309/ajcpnzapjrb3t6kk.Search in Google Scholar

16. Ferraro, S, Braga, F, Panteghini, M. Laboratory medicine in the new healthcare environment. Clin Chem Lab Med 2016;54:523–33. https://doi.org/10.1515/cclm-2015-0803.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

17. Velasco Garrido, M, Gerhardus, A, Røttingen, JA, Busse, R. Developing health technology assessment to address health care system needs. Health Pol 2010;94:196–202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2009.10.002.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

18. Ferraro, S, Dolci, A, Panteghini, M. Fast track protocols using highly sensitive troponin assays for ruling out and ruling in non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome. Clin Chem Lab Med 2017;55:1683–9. https://doi.org/10.1515/cclm-2017-0044.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

19. Fenton, JJ, Weyrich, MS, Durbin, S, Liu, Y, Bang, H, Melnikow, J. Prostate-specific antigen-based screening for prostate cancer: evidence report and systematic review for the US Preventive Services Task Force. JAMA 2018;319:1914–31. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2018.3712.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

20. Hanney, S, Buxton, M, Green, C, Coulson, D, Raftery, J. An assessment of the impact of the NHS health technology assessment programme. Health Technol Assess 2007;11:iii–iv, ix–xi, 1–180. https://doi.org/10.3310/hta11530.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

21. Kasivisvanathan, V, Rannikko, AS, Borghi, M, Panebianco, V, Mynderse, LA, Vaarala, MH, et al.. PRECISION Study Group Collaborators. MRI-targeted or standard biopsy for prostate-cancer diagnosis. N Engl J Med 2018;378:1767–77. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmoa1801993.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

22. Fabie, NAV, Pappas, KB, Feldman, GL. The current state of newborn screening in the United States. Pediatr Clin North Am 2019;66:369–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcl.2018.12.007.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

23. Mütze, U, Garbade, SF, Gramer, G, Lindner, M, Freisinger, P, Grünert, SC, et al.. Long-term outcomes of individuals with metabolic diseases identified through newborn screening. Pediatrics 2020;146:e20200444. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-0444.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

24. Ferraro, S, Panzeri, A, Braga, F, Panteghini, M. Serum α-fetoprotein in pediatric oncology: not a children’s tale. Clin Chem Lab Med 2019;57:783–97. https://doi.org/10.1515/cclm-2018-0803.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

25. Ferraro, S, Braga, F, Luksch, R, Terenziani, M, Caruso, S, Panteghini, M. Measurement of serum neuron-specific enolase in neuroblastoma: is there a clinical role? Clin Chem 2020;66:667–75. https://doi.org/10.1093/clinchem/hvaa073.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

26. Ferraro, S, Trevisiol, C, Gion, M, Panteghini, M. Human chorionic gonadotropin assays for testicular tumors: closing the gap between clinical and laboratory practice. Clin Chem 2018;64:270–8. https://doi.org/10.1373/clinchem.2017.275263.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

27. Smith, AF, Shinkins, B, Hall, PS, Hulme, CT, Messenger, MP. Toward a framework for outcome-based analytical performance specifications: a methodology review of indirect methods for evaluating the impact of measurement uncertainty on clinical outcomes. Clin Chem 2019;65:1363–74. https://doi.org/10.1373/clinchem.2018.300954.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

28. Ferraro, S, Luconi, E, Calcaterra, V, Cordaro, E, Bianchi, A, Cereda, C, et al.. Reference intervals for thyroid biomarkers to enhance the assessment of thyroid status in childhood and adolescence. Clin Chem Lab Med 2023;61:1309–18. https://doi.org/10.1515/cclm-2022-1053.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

29. Carling, RS, Whyte, E, John, C, Garstone, R, Goddard, P, Greenfield, T, et al.. Improving harmonization and standardization of expanded newborn screening results by optimization of the legacy flow injection analysis tandem mass spectrometry methods and application of a standardized calibration approach. Clin Chem 2022;68:1075–83. https://doi.org/10.1093/clinchem/hvac070.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

30. Moat, SJ, Schulenburg-Brand, D, Lemonde, H, Bonham, JR, Weykamp, CW, Mei, JV, et al.. Performance of laboratory tests used to measure blood phenylalanine for the monitoring of patients with phenylketonuria. J Inherit Metab Dis 2019;43:1–10. https://doi.org/10.1002/jimd.12163.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

31. Moat, S, George, R, Carling, R. Use of dried blood spot specimens to monitor patients with inherited metabolic disorders. Int J Neonatal Screen 2020;6:26. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijns6020026.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

32. Badrick, T, Miller, WG, Panteghini, M, Delatour, V, Berghall, H, MacKenzie, F, et al.. Interpreting EQA-understanding why commutability of materials matters. Clin Chem 2022;68:494–500. https://doi.org/10.1093/clinchem/hvac002.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

33. Rodgers, D, Lee, D, Bourdillon Esteve, P, Deats, M, Sillo, H. Policy paper on traceability of medical products. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2021. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/policy-paper-on-traceability-of-medical-products [Accessed 3 Jan 2023].Search in Google Scholar

34. Plebani, M. Harmonization in laboratory medicine: more than clinical chemistry? Clin Chem Lab Med 2018;56:1579–86. https://doi.org/10.1515/cclm-2017-0865.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

35. Plebani, M, Panteghini, M. Promoting clinical and laboratory interaction by harmonization. Clin Chim Acta 2014;432:15–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cca.2013.09.051.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

36. Plebani, M, Lippi, G. Standardization and harmonization in laboratory medicine: not only for clinical chemistry measurands. Clin Chem Lab Med 2022;61:185–7. https://doi.org/10.1515/cclm-2022-1122.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

37. Ferraro, S, Biganzoli, G, Bussetti, M, Castaldi, S, Biganzoli, EM, Plebani, M. Managing the impact of inter-method bias of prostate specific antigen assays on biopsy referral: the key to move towards precision health in prostate cancer management. Clin Chem Lab Med 2022;61:142–53. https://doi.org/10.1515/cclm-2022-0874.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

38. Smon, A, Cuk, V, Brecelj, J, Murko, S, Groselj, U, Zerjav Tansek, M, et al.. Comparison of liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry and ion-exchange chromatography by post-column ninhydrin derivatization for amino acid monitoring. Clin Chim Acta 2019;495:446–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cca.2019.05.007.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

39. Ferraro, S, Biganzoli, G, Calcaterra, V, Zuccotti, G, Biganzoli, EM, Plebani, M. The relevance of establishing method-dependent decision thresholds of serum folate in pregnancy and lactation: when the laboratory stewardship meets the health-care needs. Clin Chem Lab Med 2022;60:1493–5. https://doi.org/10.1515/cclm-2022-0501.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

40. McHugh, D, Cameron, CA, Abdenur, JE, Abdulrahman, M, Adair, O, Al Nuaimi, SA, et al.. Clinical validation of cutoff target ranges in newborn screening of metabolic disorders by tandem mass spectrometry: a worldwide collaborative project. Genet Med 2011;13:230–54. https://doi.org/10.1097/GIM.0b013e31820d5e67.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

41. Rowe, AD, Stoway, SD, Åhlman, H, Arora, V, Caggana, M, Fornari, A, et al.. A novel approach to improve newborn screening for congenital hypothyroidism by integrating covariate-adjusted results of different tests into CLIR customized interpretive tools. Int J Neonatal Screen 2021;7:23. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijns7020023.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

42. Ferraro, S, Biganzoli, G, Calcaterra, V, Zuccotti, G, Biganzoli, EM, Plebani, M. Fibroblast growth factor 23: translating analytical improvement into clinical effectiveness for tertiary prevention in chronic kidney disease. Clin Chem Lab Med 2022;60:1694–705. https://doi.org/10.1515/cclm-2022-0635.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

43. Pisapia, A, Banfi, G, Tomaiuolo, R. The novelties of the regulation on health technology assessment, a key achievement for the European Union health policies. Clin Chem Lab Med 2022;60:1160–3. https://doi.org/10.1515/cclm-2022-0228.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

44. Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health. Rapid response report. Summary with critical appraisal. Folate testing: a review of the diagnostic accuracy, clinical utility, cost-effectiveness and guidelines. Available from: https://www.cadth.ca/folate-testing-review-diagnostic-accuracy-clinical-utility-cost-effectiveness-and-guidelines [Accessed 3 Jan 2023].Search in Google Scholar

45. Ferraro, S, Biganzoli, G, Gringeri, M, Radice, S, Rizzuto, AS, Carnovale, C, et al.. Managing folate deficiency implies filling the gap between laboratory and clinical assessment. Clin Nutr 2022;41:374–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2021.12.012.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

46. Ferraro, S, Panzeri, A, Panteghini, M. Tackling serum folate test in European countries within the health technology assessment paradigm: request appropriateness, assays, and health outcomes. Clin Chem Lab Med 2017;55:1262–75. https://doi.org/10.1515/cclm-2016-0804.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

47. Ferraro, S, Biganzoli, G. The relevance of maternal folate levels during pregnancy. Clin Nutr 2022;41:1146–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2022.03.007.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

48. Ferraro, S, Biganzoli, EM. The clinical value of assessing the intermethod bias: the lesson from prostate specific antigen measurement. Clin Chem Lab Med 2021;60:149–51. https://doi.org/10.1515/cclm-2021-1125.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

49. Corte, Z, Venta, R. Biological variation of free plasma amino acids in healthy individuals. Clin Chem Lab Med 2010;48:99–104. https://doi.org/10.1515/CCLM.2010.008.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

50. Ferraro, S, Panteghini, M. Making new biomarkers a reality: the case of serum human epididymis protein 4. Clin Chem Lab Med 2019;57:1284–94. https://doi.org/10.1515/cclm-2018-1111.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

Received: 2022-12-21
Accepted: 2023-02-07
Published Online: 2023-02-17
Published in Print: 2023-07-26

© 2023 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Editorial
  3. Addressing standardized definitions of post-COVID and long-COVID
  4. Reviews
  5. The chitinases as biomarkers in immune-mediate diseases
  6. Pitfalls in the diagnosis of hematuria
  7. Opinion Papers
  8. Remote decentralized clinical trials: a new opportunity for laboratory medicine
  9. Striving for a pragmatic contribution of biomarkers results to lifelong health care
  10. IFCC Paper
  11. External quality assessment practices in medical laboratories: an IFCC global survey of member societies
  12. Guidelines and Recommendations
  13. Antibody-mediated interferences affecting cardiac troponin assays: recommendations from the IFCC Committee on Clinical Applications of Cardiac Biomarkers
  14. General Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine
  15. Evaluation of four automated clinical analyzers for the determination of total 25(OH)D in comparison to a certified LC-MS/MS
  16. Standard 20 °C freezer storage protocols may cause substantial plasma renin cryoactivation
  17. Lower accuracy of testosterone, cortisol, and free T4 measurements using automated immunoassays in people undergoing hemodialysis
  18. Multicenter study to compare the diagnostic performance of CLIA vs. FEIA transglutaminase IgA assays for the diagnosis of celiac disease
  19. Imprecision remains to be improved in the measurement of serum cystatin C with heterogeneous systems
  20. Analytical validation of the modified Westergren method on the automated erythrocyte sedimentation rate analyzer CUBE 30 touch
  21. Reference Values and Biological Variations
  22. Systematic review and meta-analysis of within-subject and between-subject biological variation data of coagulation and fibrinolytic measurands
  23. Biological variation estimates for spot urine analytes and analyte/creatinine ratios in 33 healthy subjects
  24. Short-term biological variation of plasma uracil in a Caucasian healthy population
  25. Cardiovascular Diseases
  26. Elevated Hemolysis Index is associated with higher risk of cardiovascular diseases
  27. Infectious Diseases
  28. Clinical assessment of SNIBE Maglumi SARS-CoV-2 antigen fully-automated chemiluminescent immunoassay
  29. Pre-analytical considerations in the development of a prototype SARS-CoV-2 antigen ARCHITECT automated immunoassay
  30. SARS CoV-2 spike protein-guided exosome isolation facilitates detection of potential miRNA biomarkers in COVID-19 infections
  31. Monocyte distribution width alterations and cytokine storm are modulated by circulating histones
  32. Letters to the Editor
  33. Letter to the Editor regarding the article by Wayne J. Dimech et al. Time to address quality control processes applied to antibody testing for infectious diseases. Clin Chem Lab Med 2023; 61(2):205–212
  34. Response to Tony Badrick regarding “Letter to the Editor regarding the article by Wayne J. Dimech et al. Time to address quality control processes applied to antibody testing for infectious diseases. Clin Chem Lab Med 2023; 61(2):205–212 by”
  35. Monocyte distribution width (MDW) as a reliable biomarker for urosepsis
  36. A consistency analysis of common biochemical tests in arterial blood and venous blood of critically ill patients
  37. Test results comparison: is the S-Monovette® Lithium-Heparin Gel+ a suitable replacement for the S-Monovette® Lithium-Heparin Gel on Alinity Abbott®?
  38. Analytical performance of Abbott’s ARCHITECT and Alinity TSH-receptor antibody (TRAb) assays
  39. Cis-AB showing discrepant results across different automated and manual methods: a case report and review of the literature
  40. A graphical tool to investigate method validation
  41. Live lab-monitor; a customizable HTML-based and systems independent, real-time laboratory overview screen
  42. Congress Abstracts
  43. 61st National Congress of the Hungarian Society of Laboratory Medicine
  44. 9th Annual Meeting of the Austrian Society for Laboratory Medicine and Clinical Chemistry (ÖGLMKC)
Downloaded on 15.9.2025 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/cclm-2022-1294/html
Scroll to top button