A survey on measurement and reporting of total testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin and free testosterone in clinical laboratories in Europe.

IF 3.8 2区医学 Q1 MEDICAL LABORATORY TECHNOLOGY

Clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine Pub Date : 2025-03-12 DOI:10.1515/cclm-2024-1237

Nick Narinx, Jennifer Afrakoma Nyamaah, Karel David, Vera Sommers, Joeri Walravens, Tom Fiers, Bruno Lapauw, Brigitte Decallonne, Frank Claessens, Katleen Van Uytfanghe, Jaak Billen, Pieter Vermeersch, Dirk Vanderschueren, Leen Antonio

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objectives: To compare clinical laboratory workflows for the assessment of androgens in men, focusing on total testosterone (T), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and free T, in clinical laboratories throughout Europe.

Methods: An internet-based survey that included questions related to pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical phases of androgen measurements was distributed between December 2022 and December 2023 by clinical laboratory/chemistry and endocrine societies. A total of 124 unique records from clinical laboratories in 27 European countries were analyzed.

Results: Pre-analytical requirements for total T are subject to improvement as less than half of clinical laboratories recommended adequate morning sampling time and/or sampling in a fasting state. Total T was predominantly quantified using enzyme-linked immunoassay (IA) on automated platforms, with only one in four centers using mass spectrometry (MS), while SHBG was exclusively measured by IA. Additionally, free T was used by a majority of clinical laboratories, mainly reported as approximation by calculation of free T (cFT) using the Vermeulen formula. Generally, age-stratification was the preferred means of reporting reference ranges for total T, SHBG and cFT. However, considerate variability was observed in reported lower and upper limits, leading to the necessity of interpreting test results against assay-specific reference ranges, thereby hindering comparability of results between clinical laboratories.

Conclusions: Our survey highlights significant inter-laboratory variability for the assessment of androgen status in men, implying non-commutability of clinical test results between different centers. In addition, we observed poor adherence to pre-analytical recommendations. These findings advocate for continued harmonization efforts of measurement procedures for SHBG and total/free T.

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来源期刊

Clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine 医学-医学实验技术

CiteScore

11.30

自引率

16.20%

发文量

306

审稿时长

3 months

期刊介绍： Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM) publishes articles on novel teaching and training methods applicable to laboratory medicine. CCLM welcomes contributions on the progress in fundamental and applied research and cutting-edge clinical laboratory medicine. It is one of the leading journals in the field, with an impact factor over 3. CCLM is issued monthly, and it is published in print and electronically. CCLM is the official journal of the European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EFLM) and publishes regularly EFLM recommendations and news. CCLM is the official journal of the National Societies from Austria (ÖGLMKC); Belgium (RBSLM); Germany (DGKL); Hungary (MLDT); Ireland (ACBI); Italy (SIBioC); Portugal (SPML); and Slovenia (SZKK); and it is affiliated to AACB (Australia) and SFBC (France). Topics: - clinical biochemistry - clinical genomics and molecular biology - clinical haematology and coagulation - clinical immunology and autoimmunity - clinical microbiology - drug monitoring and analysis - evaluation of diagnostic biomarkers - disease-oriented topics (cardiovascular disease, cancer diagnostics, diabetes) - new reagents, instrumentation and technologies - new methodologies - reference materials and methods - reference values and decision limits - quality and safety in laboratory medicine - translational laboratory medicine - clinical metrology Follow @cclm_degruyter on Twitter!