Charting the Future of Canadian Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Laboratory Testing: A Canadian Leukemia Study Group Current State Mapping of Diagnostic AML Laboratory Practice

Clinical decision making in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) critically relies on rapid genomic characterization. To better understand the AML diagnostic landscape in Canada, the Canadian Leukemia Study Group (CLSG) conducted a survey of laboratory hematology leadership (n = 18) at 16 laboratories across 10 provinces, administered using Google Forms in September 2024. Nearly all surveyed sites were equipped to deliver a full suite of testing platforms through existing on-site infrastructure or laboratory partnerships. Reporting practices varied in terms of genomic integration into bone marrow results and the use of AML classification systems. Turn-around-time (TAT) targets were predominantly determined through internal institutional consensus (62%) or recommendations by provincial cancer agencies/international groups (44%). TAT reduction was a top priority for 56% of laboratories, suggesting timely biomarker results to be an active area for improvement. Various treatment-determining biomarkers were frequently assessed as rapid-tests (defined as a 5-day TAT), including FLT3-ITD (69%), FLT3-TKD (56%), and NPM1 (56%), while others such as IDH1 and TP53 were rapid at a limited number of laboratories. Respondents demonstrated a strong shared interest in joint projects such as the validation of AML measurable residual disease (MRD) assays (56%). There was also unanimous support for establishing CLSG AML laboratory consensus guidelines. This survey documents the current state of Canadian AML laboratories and provides a foundation for future shared development projects.

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Publication Details

Journal
Current Oncology
Published
2026-08-25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/curroncol33090505
Primary Topic
Acute Myeloid Leukemia Research
Type
article
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article

Charting the Future of Canadian Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Laboratory Testing: A Canadian Leukemia Study Group Current State Mapping of Diagnostic AML Laboratory Practice

M. Elizabeth McCready, Fei-Yu Han, Philip Berardi, Jennifer Fesser et al.
Current Oncology
Acute Myeloid Leukemia Research
article

Charting the Future of Canadian Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Laboratory Testing: A Canadian Leukemia Study Group Current State Mapping of Diagnostic AML Laboratory Practice

M. Elizabeth McCready, Fei-Yu Han, Philip Berardi, Jennifer Fesser, Darci T. Butcher, Eric McGinnis, José‐Mario Capo‐Chichi, Benjamin Chin‐Yee, Etienne Mahé, Cheryl A. Mather, Hubert Tsui, Paul C. Park, Doha Itani, Tanya Gillan, John DeCoteau, Ashish Rajput, Graeme Quest, Sila Usta, Julie Bergeron, Tina Yu Xuan Luo
article en

Abstract

Clinical decision making in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) critically relies on rapid genomic characterization. To better understand the AML diagnostic landscape in Canada, the Canadian Leukemia Study Group (CLSG) conducted a survey of laboratory hematology leadership (n = 18) at 16 laboratories across 10 provinces, administered using Google Forms in September 2024. Nearly all surveyed sites were equipped to deliver a full suite of testing platforms through existing on-site infrastructure or laboratory partnerships. Reporting practices varied in terms of genomic integration into bone marrow results and the use of AML classification systems. Turn-around-time (TAT) targets were predominantly determined through internal institutional consensus (62%) or recommendations by provincial cancer agencies/international groups (44%). TAT reduction was a top priority for 56% of laboratories, suggesting timely biomarker results to be an active area for improvement. Various treatment-determining biomarkers were frequently assessed as rapid-tests (defined as a 5-day TAT), including FLT3-ITD (69%), FLT3-TKD (56%), and NPM1 (56%), while others such as IDH1 and TP53 were rapid at a limited number of laboratories. Respondents demonstrated a strong shared interest in joint projects such as the validation of AML measurable residual disease (MRD) assays (56%). There was also unanimous support for establishing CLSG AML laboratory consensus guidelines. This survey documents the current state of Canadian AML laboratories and provides a foundation for future shared development projects.

Current OncologyVol. 33(9)
Manitoba Health (CA), Western University (CA), Dalhousie University (CA), Memorial University of Newfoundland (CA), Sunnybrook Health Science Centre (CA), University Health Network (CA), University of British Columbia (CA), University of Ottawa (CA), University of Alberta (CA), University of Calgary (CA), University of Toronto (CA), Queen's University (CA), Saint John Regional Hospital (CA), Ottawa Hospital (CA), London Health Sciences Centre (CA), Nova Scotia Health Authority (CA), Vancouver General Hospital (CA), Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont (CA), University of Saskatchewan (CA), Canadian Apheresis Group (CA), Shared Health (CA), St. John’s Health Sciences Centre (CA), Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research (CA), Kingston Health Sciences Centre (CA), Health PEI (CA), Sunnybrook Research Institute, University of Manitoba (CA), St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton (CA), Hamilton Health Sciences (CA), McMaster University (CA)
Partnerships for the goals
Openalex Percentile: Top 10%
Acute Myeloid Leukemia Research
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