June 2024
Discoveries, trends, and discussions in medical diagnostics
Welcome to the June Diagnostics Dialogue, where our team captures the most important discoveries, trends, and discussions in medical diagnostics. The June publication includes the following:
1) National Men’s Health Month
2) Diagnosing tick-borne diseases: Timing is everything
3) Best practices when testing for Novel Psychoactive Substances
4) Diagnosing and managing hypogonadism in men
5) The Longest Day®—shining a light on Alzheimer’s disease
6) Improve colorectal cancer screening compliance with InSure® ONE™
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National Men’s Health Month |
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National Men’s Health Month |
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National Men’s Health Month |
National Men’s Health Month |
Encourage early detection and raise awareness of preventable health problems
Men ages 15-65 are significantly less likely than women to seek preventive care services.1
This National Men’s Health Month, we encourage men to take charge of their health and get the regular checkups they need. Several topics in this month’s edition are dedicated to health conditions that are prevalent in men. With screenings for heart disease, colorectal cancer, testosterone deficiency, cognitive health, and more, we are committed to helping men address health concerns at the earliest stages, when interventions are more likely to be successful.
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Better outcomes |
Better outcomes |
Diagnosing tick-borne diseases: Timing is everything
The annual number of tick-borne disease cases has more than doubled in the US in the past two decades.2 Many tick-borne diseases have overlapping symptoms, and coinfection with multiple tick-borne diseases is common.3
While many ticks are more prevalent in certain regions (ie, deer ticks that carry Lyme disease are found throughout New England), they are spreading to new geographic locations, putting more people at risk for more diseases and infections.
Selecting the appropriate test is critical to make an early diagnosis of a tick-borne disease to help prevent serious, chronic illness. Learn the clinical, geographical, and timing factors that influence test selection and review the latest CDC guidelines for tick-borne disease testing.
Best practices when testing for Novel Psychoactive Substances
Novel Psychoactive Substance (NPS) use is rapidly growing and can be more potent and harder to detect.4,5 Presumptive immunoassay or point-of-care testing is challenging because NPS can do the following:
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Be present in counterfeit drugs |
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Be found in combination with other substances |
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Cause more severe drug-to-drug interactions |
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Be consumed unknowingly |
Definitive testing, such as the Drug Monitoring, NPS panel, identifies a broad array of NPS classes, including illicit additives (xylazine) and fentanyl analogs (acetyl fentanyl), and can help you protect patients who may be at risk of misuse.
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Better experiences |
Better experiences |
Diagnosing and managing hypogonadism in men
Male hypogonadism is a clinical syndrome resulting from decreased testosterone and/or sperm production,6 affecting an estimated 35% of men age 45 or older.7
Laboratory testing is recommended for the diagnosis of men with suspected hypogonadism, especially when conditions associated with a high prevalence of low testosterone are present.6,8
We offer a comprehensive menu of testing that assists in diagnosing hypogonadism, including the Total Testosterone LC-MS/MS assay, which is certified by the CDC Laboratory/Manufacturer Hormone Standardization (HoSt) Program and is the Endocrine Society-recommended assay for healthy men older than 18.6,9
Our adult male hypogonadism diagnostic algorithm provides a testing strategy for the diagnosis and classification of hypogonadism in men.
The Longest Day®—shining a light on diagnostic solutions to transform the Alzheimer's disease care pathway
June 21—the summer solstice—is the day with the longest light.
As part of Alzheimer's disease (AD) & Brain Health Awareness Month, join us on The Longest Day as we shine a light on the transformative diagnostics that are paving the way for early detection of the risk of dementias, including AD.
Now available from Quest Diagnostics, the blood-based biomarker test for phosphorylated tau217 (p-tau217) can help assess whether mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia is caused by AD,10-12 contributing to a more accurate diagnosis and personalized approaches to care inclusive of additional testing or interventions.
We are committed to continually driving innovations and insights in the field of dementia, including AD, through advanced diagnostic solutions. With the addition of p-tau217 to our robust AD-Detect™ portfolio of blood tests, we are improving access to laboratory testing for AD to help you identify patients at early stages of disease progression.
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Removing traditional barriers to testing |
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Removing traditional barriers to testing |
Removing traditional barriers to testing |
Improve colorectal cancer screening compliance with InSure® ONE™
Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men in the US,13 and nearly 30% of men ages 50-75 are not up-to-date on their screening.14
At-home screening kits, such as InSure® ONE™, can help increase compliance and get more patients the life-saving screening they need.
There is no stool collection or handling required. Testing is conveniently performed at home by using toilet water collected from a single bowel movement.
Achieving Quadruple Aim:
Quest supports you and your patients
Our purpose is to support you and your patients with leading services, patient experiences, and innovative testing that can help provide clarity to the constant changes and challenges we’re seeing in healthcare today.
About Diagnostics Dialogue
In our conversations with providers across the country, we hear that you are facing many different constraints that make delivering care challenging. We’re here to help you navigate the uncertainty and deliver better health. With a broad test menu spanning 3,500+ tests and consultations from our medical staff of over 700 MDs and PhDs, we empower healthcare providers to create healthier communities, one patient at a time.
Read past issues of Diagnostics Dialogue and learn what we’re doing every day to improve outcomes and accessibility to care for patients.
References
- Lifespan Health System. The importance of men’s health month. June 5, 2023. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://www.lifespan.org/lifespan-living/importance-mens-health-month
- Winny A. Tickborne diseases are on the rise—here’s what to know. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. June 21, 2023. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2023/lyme-disease-isnt-the-only-tickborne-disease-to-watch
- Lymedisease.org. About Lyme disease co-infections. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://www.lymedisease.org/lyme-basics/co-infections/about-co-infections/
- Iwersen-Bergmann S, Lehmann S, Heinemann A, et al. Mass poisoning with NPS: 2C-E and Bromo-DragonFly. Int J Legal Med. 2019;133(1):123-129. doi:10.1007/s00414-018-1882-9
- Peacock A, Bruno R, Gisev N, et al. New psychoactive substances: challenges for drug surveillance, control, and public health responses. Lancet. 2019;394(10209):1668-1684. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(19)32231-7
- Bhasin S, Brito JP, Cunningham GR, et al. Testosterone therapy in men with hypogonadism: an Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2018;103(5):1715-1744. doi:10.1210/jc.2018-00229
- Endocrine Society. Hypogonadism in men. January 24, 2022. Accessed February 8, 2024. https://www.endocrine.org/patient-engagement/endocrine-library/hypogonadism
- Bhasin S, Cunningham GR, Hayes FJ, et al. Testosterone therapy in men with androgen deficiency syndromes: an Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010;95(6):2536-2559. doi:10.1210/jc.2009-2354
- CDC. HoSt/VDSCP certified participants. Testosterone in serum; 2023. Accessed April 4, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/clinical-standardization-programs/media/pdfs/2024/04/CDC-Certified-Testosterone-Assays-508.pdf
- Thijssen EH, Joie RL, Strom A, et al. Plasma phosphorylated tau 217 and phosphorylated tau 181 as biomarkers in Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration: a retrospective diagnostic performance study. Lancet Neurol. 2021;20(9):739-752. doi:10.1016/s1474-4422(21)00214-3
- Palmqvist S, Janelidze S, Quiroz YT, et al. Discriminative accuracy of plasma phospho-tau217 for Alzheimer disease vs other neurodegenerative disorders. JAMA. 2020;324(8):772-781. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.12134
- Ashton NJ, Brum WS, Molfetta GD, et al. Diagnostic accuracy of a plasma phosphorylated tau 217 immunoassay for Alzheimer disease pathology. JAMA Neurol. 2024;81(3):255-263. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2023.5319
- American Cancer Society. Key statistics for colorectal cancer screening. January 29, 2024. Accessed April 23, 2024. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/colon-rectal-cancer/about/key-statistics.html
- NIH National Cancer Institute. Cancer trends progress report. Colorectal cancer screening. March 2024. Accessed April 23, 2024. https://progressreport.cancer.gov/detection/colorectal_cancer
Image content features models and is intended for illustrative purposes only.