A new type of blood test is starting to transform cancer treatment, sparing some patients the surgical and needle biopsies long needed to guide their care. The tests, called liquid biopsies, capture cancer cells or DNA that tumors shed into the blood, instead of taking tissue from the tumor itself. A lot is still unknown about the value of these tests, but many doctors think they are a big advance that could make personalized medicine possible for far more people. They give t

The European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EFLM) is urging companies that manufacture blood collection tubes around the world to standardize their stopper colors. Authors of an article published in Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine affiliated with EFLM cite the risk to patients when tubes from one manufacturer are replaced by those for another with different color-coded stoppers. While color-coding is harmonized by manufacturers supplying