Laboratory Medicine and Pathology

1. 

   Comprehensive testing leads to targeted treatment for rare autoimmune encephalitis antibody

   What started as a persistent headache for Spencer Lodin soon devolved into slowed speech, seizures, and hallucinations, symptoms which stumped ER doctors into thinking he had meningitis or was suffering from psychosis. Finally, specialized testing at Mayo Clinic identified Spencer's condition as GFAP-IgG associated autoimmune encephalitis, which allowed for targeted treatment and a full recovery.   It was April 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic in full swing, when Spencer Lodin, 37, a mail carrier from the Twin…

2. 

   FISH testing helps detect unseen cancer cells

   On the brink of losing her battle with acute myeloid leukemia, Shannon Camlek arrived at Mayo Clinic as a last hope. Her chances didn’t look good, but with the help of specialized genetic testing, particularly FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization) studies, doctors were able to detect the specific gene mutations responsible for her symptoms and disease. The test results also helped Shannon’s care team target her treatment accordingly, and finally put an end to what…

3. 

   Ceramide testing reveals risk of heart attack

   Red meat and high-starch foods like mashed potatoes were the family fare while Stephanie Blendermann was growing up in Long Island, New York. Her father was a butcher after all, and a smoker, who eventually required bypass surgery for clogged arteries. And tragically, three of her sisters died prematurely (in their 40s and 50s) from heart attacks. So as she approached 65, even though her LDL (or “bad”) cholesterol levels were fine, Stephanie was concerned…

4. 

   Reclaiming strength and independence after rare cancer diagnosis 

   The year was 2019. Alexa Lofaro was in her happy place, inside Nassau Veteran's Memorial Collesium in Uniondale, New York, watching the New York Islanders play hockey. As she made her way to her seat, another fan’s words caught her off-guard. “As I walked by him, he said, ‘Get home safely,’” Alexa says. “He thought I was drunk. I wasn’t drunk.” Instead, Alexa’s slow, cautious walk down the arena stairs was to compensate for the…