title: Cancer biomarkers: the role of structured data reporting.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The College of American Pathologists has been producing cancer protocols since 1986 to aid pathologists in the diagnosis and reporting of cancer cases. Many pathologists use the included cancer case summaries as templates for dictation/data entry into the final pathology report. These summaries are now available in a computer-readable format with structured data elements for interoperability, packaged as "electronic cancer checklists." Most major vendors of anatomic pathology reporting software support this model.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To outline the development and advantages of structured electronic cancer reporting using the electronic cancer checklist model, and to describe its extension to cancer biomarkers and other aspects of cancer reporting.
  
  
  METHODS
  Peer-reviewed literature and internal records of the College of American Pathologists.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Accurate and usable cancer biomarker data reporting will increasingly depend on initial capture of this information as structured data. This process will support the standardization of data elements and biomarker terminology, enabling the meaningful use of these datasets by pathologists, clinicians, tumor registries, and patients.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Pathology, Park Nicollet-Methodist Hospital, St Louis Park, Minnesota (Dr Simpson); the Department of Pathology, Jefferson Regional Medical Center, Jefferson Hills, Pennsylvania (Dr Berman); the University of South Florida Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital, Tampa (Dr Foulis); the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Grand River Hospital, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada (Dr Divaris); the Department of Pathology, Grady Health System/Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia (Dr Birdsong); Capability & Specialty Advancement, College of American Pathologists, Northfield, Illinois (Drs Mirza, Moldwin, and Spencer); the Laboratory Medicine and Genetics Program, Trillium Health Partners, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada (Dr Srigley); and the Department of Pathology, St Jude Medical Center, Fullerton, California (Dr Fitzgibbons).
authors.forename: Ross W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Simpson
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Berman
authors.forename: Philip R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Foulis
authors.forename: Dimitrios X G
authors.initials: DX
authors.lastname: Divaris
authors.forename: George G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Birdsong
authors.forename: Jaleh
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mirza
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Moldwin
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Spencer
authors.forename: John R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Srigley
authors.forename: Patrick L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Fitzgibbons
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D057189:Checklist; D057286:Electronic Health Records / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D033262:Narration; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D010338:Pathology, Clinical / Q000592:standards*; D012107:Research Design; D012955:Societies, Medical; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor