Interesting publication comparing the results of 5 blood samples in 65 different labs.
Testosterone concentrations of five authentic human serum samples were analyzed by 65 clinical laboratories using 17 analytical systems. The target values ranged from 43.5 ng/dL to 534 ng/dL, simulating concentrations typical for children, adult males and females, and approximating cutoff values for clinical diagnosis of hypogonadism for men.
Eg Sample III T measured with the CDC LC/MS method was 302.6 ng/dl (Target value).
Results from the 65 labs varied between 203.8–422.0 ng/dL.
For Sample IV (target value 457.0 ng/dL) and Sample V (target value 534.0 ng/dL), participant laboratories ( n = 65) reported results ranging from 316.6 to 570.0 ng/dL and from 311.0 to 732.0 ng/dL, respectively.
A single lab used LC/MS technology.
The Roche Cobas System demonstrated the best accuracy (within +/- 10%) and good precision.
‚Additional effort is needed to improve accuracy/precision of measurements, especially at low concentrations.‘
Fig. 1. Analysis of bias (%) of each individual total testosterone result sorted by analytical systems
