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LCP Features New Technology

When Lower Columbia Pathologists (LCP) opened its new facility at 14th and Tennant Way last year, the move included an upgrade in technology that will benefit area residents

PCR testing for venereal disease 
Chlamydia and gonorrhea are the two most common sexually transmitted diseases in the world. Accurate and timely detection of these infections is extremely important in order to avoid serious illness. 

LCP recently acquired new technology to test for these infectious diseases. The COBAS AMPLICOR analyzer – manufactured by Roche Diagnostics – is used to conduct what is known as PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing.

“A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test is an example of a nucleic acid amplification test,” said LCP Laboratory Manager Kari Bradshaw. “PCR enables the production of large quantities of DNA from very small samples in a short period of time, making it possible to detect extremely low levels of the bacteria’s genetic material.” 

The test can be performed on urine, culture swabs, and liquid PAP smear specimens. Bradshaw said the test is very sensitive and detects infection even when a patient shows no symptoms of disease.

LCP currently has three staff members trained to conduct PCR testing.

Amanda Amos, HT(ASCP) with countertop COBAS AMPLICOR

Bar coding system improves efficiency
Hospitals and independent laboratories such as LCP are important checkpoints for detecting and preventing errors that threaten patient safety. That’s why the move to the new facility also saw the acquisition of cutting-edge LIS (laboratory information system) technology that allows LCP to track specimens through bar coding.

The new system assigns each specimen its own unique identity that includes a bar code. Labels using this ID are printed for the patient paperwork, specimen containers and tubes, and microscopic slides, ensuring proper tracking through the entire process.

“Marking and tracking lab specimens with bar codes is a highly effective method for preventing errors,” Bradshaw said. “This creates efficiency within the entire process as the patient’s sample goes from collection to the final report that is returned to their physician.”

 

 

Join LCP in the Fight Against Breast Cancer - 9/28/11

Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that grows in one or both breasts. The disease usually develops in the ducts or lobules, also known as the milk-producing areas of the breast.

It is the most common cancer in women in the United States, aside from skin cancer. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), an estimated 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed among women in the United States this year. An estimated 40,000 women are expected to die from the disease in 2011. Today, there are about 2.5 million breast cancer survivors living in the United States.
Sheila Lynam, M.D. of Lower Columbia Pathologists has pursued an interest in breast cancer since her internship at the University of Oklahoma. She has seen incredible strides in the treatment of the disease, including the move to less invasive lumpectomies, rather than complete mastectomies.
Dr. Lynam encourages women to embrace early detection methods. “Early detection is the best chance for a cure,” she said. “If you become aware of a lump, get it checked out immediately, and be sure to get an annual mammogram.”

Recommendations from the American Cancer Society
Women age 40 and older should have a mammogram every year and should continue to do so for as long as they are in good health.

  • Current evidence supporting mammograms is even stronger than in the past. In particular, recent evidence has confirmed that mammograms offer substantial benefits for women in their 40s. Women can feel confident about the benefits associated with regular mammograms for finding cancer early. However, mammograms also have limitations. A mammogram can miss some cancers, and it may lead to follow up of findings that are not cancer. Despite their limitations, mammograms are still a very effective and valuable tool for decreasing suffering and death from breast cancer.
  • Mammograms should be continued regardless of a woman's age, as long as she does not have serious, chronic health problems. Age alone should not be a reason to stop having regular mammograms. Women with serious health problems or short life expectancies should discuss with their doctors whether to continue having mammograms.

Women in their 20s and 30s should have a clinical breast exam (CBE) as part of a regular health exam by a health professional, preferably every three years. Starting at age 40, women should have a CBE by a health professional every year.

  • CBE is done along with mammograms and offers a chance for women and their doctor or nurse to discuss changes in their breasts, early detection testing, and factors in the woman's history that might make her more likely to have breast cancer.
  • There may be some benefit in having the CBE shortly before the mammogram. The exam should include instruction for the purpose of getting more familiar with your own breasts. Women should also be given information about the benefits and limitations of CBE and breast self-examination (BSE). The chance of breast cancer occurring is very low for women in their 20s and gradually increases with age. Women should be told to promptly report any new breast symptoms to a health professional.

Women at high risk (see below) should get an MRI and a mammogram every year. Women at moderately increased risk (see below) should talk with their doctors about the benefits and limitations of adding MRI screening to their yearly mammogram. Yearly MRI screening is not recommended for women whose lifetime risk of breast cancer is low.
Women at high risk include those who:

  • Have a known BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation
  • Have a first-degree relative (parent, brother, sister, or child) with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation, and have not had genetic testing themselves
  • Have a lifetime risk of breast cancer of 20 percent to 25 percent or greater, according to risk assessment tools that are based mainly on family history
  • Had radiation therapy to the chest when they were between the ages of 10 and 30 years
  • Have Li-Fraumeni syndrome, Cowden syndrome, or hereditary diffuse gastric cancer syndrome, or have one of these syndromes in first-degree relatives

Women at moderately increased risk include those who:

  • Have a lifetime risk of breast cancer of 15 percent to 20 percent, according to risk assessment tools that are based mainly on family history (see below)
  • Have a personal history of breast cancer, ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS), atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH), or atypical lobular hyperplasia (ALH)
  • Have extremely dense breasts or unevenly dense breasts when viewed by mammograms

 

 

Photos and story courtesy of Jim LeMonds of WriteTek Northwest