Indicazioni per l'armonizzazione del referto dell'elettroforesi delle sieroproteine e della tipizzazione delle componenti monoclonali.

The Italian Society of Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (SIBioC) has long promoted harmonizing activities, focusing on the laboratory reports to guarantee accuracy and comparability of the results. There is a wealth of guidelines on the clinical usefulness and diagnostic accuracy of serum protein electrophoresis (SPE), but only few provide specific recommendations for reporting and commenting the results. According to surveys and international multi-center studies, there is considerable variability between SPE reports among laboratories, which negatively impacts the management of patients with monoclonal gammopaties (MGs). This document issued by the SIBioC Study Group on Proteins, provides guidance on how to standardize and harmonize laboratory SPE reports, formulated on the basis on the available reference literature as well as on expert consensus. Each SPE report should be accompanied by a descriptive comment, mainly related to the management of samples with monoclonal components (detection, quantification and immunotyping). Examples of comments are provided. Special attention should be dedicated to samples showing a possible interference by therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (tmAb) currently used for the treatment of Multiple Myeloma (MM). Failure to detect interference due to tmAb can lead to further unnecessary diagnostic procedures or incorrect interpretations of the efficacy of treatment, such as the failure to detect a complete response to treatment in MM patients. Close collaboration between laboratory professionals and clinicians is therefore of paramount importance to provide correct information that will be useful in every step of the management of MGs patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]