Health Care Global (HCG), a global leader in cancer care, has become the country’s first hospital to completely digitize histopathology workflow for primary diagnosis at the HCG-Strand Laboratory at KR Road, Bangalore. Through its network of 23 comprehensive cancer centers spread across India, HCG has brought advanced cancer care to the doorstep of millions of people. HCG’s comprehensive cancer centers provide expertise and the latest technologies in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer under one roof. HCG has pioneered the introduction and adoption of several technologies in the country. Moreover, it is amongst the first ones to introduce high-intensity flattening filter free mode radiotherapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, and robotic radiosurgery in the treatment of cancer in India.
According to the press statement, the hospital has introduced a USFDA approved digital pathology solution from Philips Intellisite pathology solutions. The laboratory at HCG was successfully transformed into a 100% digital lab for histopathology. In addition, computational pathology was also accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) India for its digital pathology facility in the fields of histopathology, cytopathology, frozen section facility as well as artificial intelligence-based breast algorithm.
Moreover, the company also states that the digital diagnosis is now the default diagnosis of the lab for surgical pathology. 100% of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) slides are digitally scanned into high-resolution digital images. These are then viewed, analyzed, annotated, and shared with other pathologists in the network in real-time. The majority of the pathologists in the laboratory are now working digitally. 100% digital histopathology labs offer more accurate results and ease of access to expert opinions to patients. It significantly improves the turnaround time for reports as well as cost-saving in terms of glass logistics of slides and blocks.
Dr B S Ajaikumar, chairman and chief executive officer of HCG, said, “With the 100% digitalization of histopathology services, HCG has moved further in revolutionizing cancer treatment, making it possible to focus on improved outcomes for patients. These digital images are powerful tools for pathologists, helping them to analyze samples and prepare histopathology reports more accurately and efficiently. This technology marks a step forward in cancer treatment through precision, speed, efficiency, and ease of use with immense potential to provide significant clinical benefits to both the physicians and patients”.
Dr Veena R, consultant pathologist, head – Histopathology at Strand Life Sciences, Bangaloresays, “With the increasing incidence of cancer cases, pathologists have to manage the increasing workload more efficiently, and this is possible through streamlining the workflow, sharpening diagnostic skills and facilitating partnership. Digital pathology helps in improving the efficiency of pathologists and the quality of cancer diagnosis by enhancing collaboration across care teams and improving time to diagnosis. A pathologist takes almost one hour to report a case of radical prostatectomy while on digital slides, it can be reported in 30min more accurately. In the era of precision medicine, where treatment options are tailor-made for each patient, pathologists adapt to the latest technological advancements, such as digital pathology. Corporate hospitals abroad have successfully transformed to 100% digitization and now India is following. While digital pathology improves workflow in histopathology, computational pathology is helping pathologists to use digital images in more varied and efficient ways. Smart image recognition algorithms, in the future, will help the pathologists to focus on the things that matter most.”
