Clinical reporting following the quantification of cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease: An international overview
Constance Delaby, Charlotte E. Teunissen, Kaj Blennow, Daniel Alcolea, Ivan Arisi, Élodie Bouaziz-Amar, Anne Beaume, Aurélie Bedel, Giovanni Bellomo, Edith Bigot‐Corbel, Maria Bjerke, Marie‐céline Blanc‐quintin, Merçé Boada, Olivier Bousiges, Miles Chapman, Mari L. DeMarco, Mara D’Onofrio, Julien Dumurgier, Diane Dufour‐Rainfray, Sebastiaan Engelborghs, Hermann Esselmann, Anne Fogli, Audrey Gabelle, Elisabetta Galloni, Clémentine Gondolf, Frédérique Grandhomme, Oriol Grau‐Rivera, Melanie Hart, Takeshi Ikeuchi, Andreas Jeromin, Kensaku Kasuga, Ashvini Keshavan, Michael Khalil, Péter Körtvelyessy, Agnieszka Kulczyńska‐Przybik, Jean Laplanche, Piotr Lewczuk, Qiao‐Xin Li, Alberto Lleó, Catherine Malaplate, Marta Marquié, Colin L. Masters, Barbara Mroczko, Léonor Nogueira, Adelina Orellana, Markus Otto, Jean‐Baptiste Oudart, Claire Paquet, Federico Paolini Paoletti, Lucilla Parnetti, Armand Perret‐Liaudet, Katell Peoc’h, Koen Poesen, Albert Puig‐Pijoan, Isabelle Quadrio, Muriel Quillard‐Muraine, Benoît Rucheton, Susanna Schraen, Jonathan M. Schott, Leslie M. Shaw, Marc Suárez‐Calvet, Magda Tsolaki, Hayrettin Tumani, Chinedu Udeh‐Momoh, Lucie Vaudran, Marcel M. Verbeek, Federico Verde, Lisa Vermunt, Jonathan Vogelgsang, Jens Wiltfang, Henrik Zetterberg, Sylvain Lehmann
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The current practice of quantifying cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers as an aid in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) varies from center to center. For a same biochemical profile, interpretation and reporting of results may differ, which can lead to misunderstandings and raises questions about the commutability of tests. METHODS: We obtained a description of (pre-)analytical protocols and sample reports from 40 centers worldwide. A consensus approach allowed us to propose harmonized comments corresponding to the different CSF biomarker profiles observed in patients. RESULTS: The (pre-)analytical procedures were similar between centers. There was considerable heterogeneity in cutoff definitions and report comments. We therefore identified and selected by consensus the most accurate and informative comments regarding the interpretation of CSF biomarkers in the context of AD diagnosis. DISCUSSION: This is the first time that harmonized reports are proposed across worldwide specialized laboratories involved in the biochemical diagnosis of AD.