Table 2.
Overview of laboratory characteristics for non-survey respondents and survey respondents as obtained during the EQA scheme
| 2016 | 2017 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # responders (n = 21°) | # non-responders (n = 101) | # responders (n = 18) | # non-responders (n = 87) | |||||
| Number of countries | 14 | 26 | 14 | 25 | ||||
| Performs test in routine practice | ||||||||
| KRAS | 20 | 95.2 | 96 | 95.05 | 17 | 94.4 | 82 | 94.3 |
| NRAS | 20 | 95.2 | 94 | 93.07 | 17 | 94.4 | 81 | 93.1 |
| BRAF | 18 | 85.7 | 89 | 88.12 | 14 | 77.8 | 81 | 93.1 |
| Number of KRAS samples tested in last 12 months | ||||||||
| 1–99 | 4 | 19.0 | 18 | 17.82 | 5 | 27.8 | 21 | 24.1 |
| 100–249 | 8 | 38.1 | 43 | 42.57 | 5 | 27.8 | 35 | 40.2 |
| 250–499 | 5 | 23.8 | 24 | 23.76 | 7 | 38.9 | 17 | 19.5 |
| > 500 | 3 | 14.3 | 11 | 10.89 | 0 | 0.0 | 9 | 10.3 |
| No clinical testing | 1 | 4.8 | 5 | 4.95 | 1 | 5.6 | 5 | 5.7 |
| Number of NRAS samples tested in last 12 months | ||||||||
| 1–99 | 6 | 28.6 | 24 | 23.76 | 10 | 55.6 | 24 | 27.6 |
| 100–249 | 6 | 28.6 | 43 | 42.57 | 4 | 22.2 | 37 | 42.5 |
| 250–499 | 5 | 23.8 | 21 | 20.79 | 3 | 16.7 | 15 | 17.2 |
| > 500 | 3 | 14.3 | 6 | 5.94 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5.7 |
| No clinical testing | 1 | 4.8 | 7 | 6.93 | 1 | 5.6 | 6 | 6.9 |
| Number of BRAF samples tested in last 12 months | ||||||||
| 1–99 | 7 | 33.3 | 40 | 39.60 | 9 | 50.0 | 37 | 42.5 |
| 100–249 | 5 | 23.8 | 32 | 31.68 | 3 | 16.7 | 28 | 32.2 |
| 250–499 | 4 | 19.0 | 12 | 11.88 | 2 | 11.1 | 13 | 14.9 |
| > 500 | 2 | 9.5 | 5 | 4.95 | 0 | 0.0 | 3 | 3.4 |
| No clinical testing | 3 | 14.3 | 12 | 11.88 | 4 | 22.2 | 6 | 6.9 |
| People involved in the analysis | ||||||||
| 1–10 | 16 | 76.2 | 91 | 90.10 | 16 | 88.9 | 78 | 89.7 |
| 11–20 | 4 | 19.0 | 7 | 6.93 | 1 | 5.6 | 7 | 8.0 |
| > 20 | 1 | 4.8 | 3 | 2.97 | 1 | 5.6 | 2 | 2.3 |
| Laboratory setting | ||||||||
| Anti-cancer center | 3 | 14.3 | 8 | 7.9 | 3 | 16.7 | 10 | 11.5 |
| Education and research hospital | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 2 | 2.3 |
| General hospital | 8 | 38.1 | 26 | 25.7 | 5 | 27.8 | 25 | 28.7 |
| Industry | 0 | 0.0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 5.6 | 5 | 5.7 |
| Private | 5 | 23.8 | 20 | 19.8 | 4 | 22.2 | 15 | 17.2 |
| Private hospital | 0 | 0.0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0.0 | 2 | 2.3 |
| University | 0 | 0.0 | 6 | 5.9 | 2 | 11.1 | 4 | 4.6 |
| University hospital | 5 | 23.8 | 33 | 32.7 | 3 | 16.7 | 24 | 27.6 |
| Accreditation status | ||||||||
| Accredited | 10 | 47.6 | 40 | 39.6 | 3 | 16.7 | 34 | 39.1 |
| Not accredited | 11 | 52.4 | 61 | 60.4 | 15 | 83.3 | 53 | 60.9 |
| Analysis performed under the department of pathology | *Χ2(1) = 12.3, p < 0.001 | |||||||
| Yes | 13 | 61.9 | 92 | 91.09 | 16 | 88.9 | 71 | 81.6 |
| No | 8 | 38.1 | 9 | 8.91 | 2 | 11.1 | 16 | 18.4 |
| Part of the analysis performed by another laboratory | *Χ2(1) = 3.9, p = 0.05 | |||||||
| Yes | 6 | 28.6 | 12 | 11.88 | 0 | 0.0 | 12 | 13.8 |
| No | 15 | 71.4 | 89 | 88.12 | 18 | 100.0 | 75 | 86.2 |
| Method KRAS | ||||||||
| Commercial kit | 10 | 47.6 | 49 | 48.51 | 11 | 61.1 | 40 | 46.0 |
| NGS | 5 | 23.8 | 24 | 23.76 | 3 | 16.7 | 27 | 31.0 |
| Non-commercial method | 6 | 28.6 | 28 | 27.72 | 4 | 22.2 | 20 | 23.0 |
| Method NRAS | ||||||||
| Commercial kit | 9 | 42.9 | 46 | 45.54 | 11 | 61.1 | 37 | 42.5 |
| NGS | 5 | 23.8 | 24 | 23.76 | 3 | 16.7 | 27 | 31.0 |
| Non-commercial method | 7 | 33.3 | 31 | 30.69 | 4 | 22.2 | 23 | 26.4 |
| Method BRAF | ||||||||
| Commercial kit | 7 | 33.3 | 39 | 38.61 | 9 | 50.0 | 35 | 40.2 |
| NGS | 5 | 23.8 | 22 | 21.78 | 3 | 16.7 | 25 | 28.7 |
| Non-commercial method | 5 | 23.8 | 26 | 25.74 | 2 | 11.1 | 18 | 20.7 |
| Not performed | 4 | 19.0 | 14 | 13.86 | 4 | 22.2 | 9 | 10.3 |
No missing data was observed for a specific question unless specified otherwise in the table. °1 laboratory was not included as a survey respondent because all data was incomplete. *Significant difference. Abbreviations: BRAF: B-Raf proto-oncogene, KRAS: Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog, NGS: next-generation sequencing, NRAS: neuroblastoma rat sarcoma