Specimen Considerations in Molecular Oncology Testing

Proper treatment of the patient with cancer depends on an accurate diagnosis of the tumor and is further directed by prognostic and more recently therapeutic molecular signatures in the era of precision medicine. Molecular oncology testing provides diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic information derived from the tumor genome. The aim of this review is to provide valuable information to laboratories for choosing optimal clinical specimens for molecular oncology testing by evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of different sample types from the procurement, processing, and pre-analytic selection matching to different test platforms.