292 - Novel biomarkers for early diagnosis and rule-out of Acute Myocardial Infarction
Autor(s): M. Caputo
Issue: RIMeL - IJLaM, Vol. 6, N. 4, 2010 (MAF Servizi srl ed.)
Page(s): 292-7
Today you can hardly ever open a medical journal and find no articles describing a novel biomarker or a new potential application leading to an improved predicting value for an existing marker and for any sort of clinical outcome. A definition of biomarker applies in a wide range, from a molecule simply measured in blood or urine to the very complicated profiles obtained from, e.g., genomics, proteomics, and imaging techniques. They also vary in accuracy, invasiveness of measurement, and cost. Existing guidelines and recommendations for their introduction in clinical practice, perhaps a little bit too liberal, favour all too often a precocious presentation to the medical profession, potentially leading to abuse/overuse and, thus, extra burden and costs to patients, the healthcare industry, and the economy in general. The challenge for clinicians and medical researchers is how to optimally apply existing and new markers/tests; meeting this challenge, however, requires rigorous evaluation of markers and tests. Since recently, a proper and accepted framework to quantify the clinical value of (novel) markers or tests is both underdeveloped and urgently needed. The American Heart Association recently issued a guideline with recommendations for research on markers for cardiovascular outcomes. It is a suitable platform for immediate practical application in the relevant topic of early diagnosis and rule out of acute coronary syndromes.