The promise of digital pathology in transforming cancer diagnosis

Growing caseloads, fewer pathologists, workflow challenges and the need for timely, precises diagnosis are driving the adoption of digital pathology. Digital pathology redefines diagnostic workflows with high-resolution imaging, the ability to integrate artificial intelligence (AI)* and remote reading and consultation. With digital pathology, pathologists can access and share information more efficiently, route cases to other members of the multidisciplinary care team, obtain second opinions more quickly and improve overall diagnostic turnaround times, ultimately leading to more personalized cancer care. High-volume digital pathology laboratories can offer telepathology services, which benefits hospitals without on-site pathologists or who are working beyond capacity by allowing them to offload cases without the time, expense and delay of manually transporting slides.

Philips introduced the first digital pathology solutions cleared by the FDA for clinical use in 2017. Since then, Philips has helped more than 300 customers worldwide implement digital pathology and over 38 million slides have been digitized on these systems. These implementations and deep experience have uncovered best practices that create a smooth transition from analog to digital.

First, a digital pathology solution should include user-centric, intuitive interfaces that make the transition from microscope-based workflows easy. Second, effective educational programs, including training on slide digitization, help pathology labs adopt the new technologies. Comprehensive training sessions, often using the lab’s own slides, validate the solution and ensure that pathologists feel comfortable and confident in their new digital environment. Philips supports these training sessions with change management, workflow analysis and optimization to help pathology departments transform quickly with as little stress as possible. An ideal digital pathology system will also integrate effectively with existing Laboratory Information Systems to ensure relevant data is consistent throughout the care pathway. It will also enable AI applications* that ease pathologists’ workload by prioritizing cases, highlighting areas of concern and facilitating reporting.

Once digital pathology systems are in place, it is essential to leverage the insights gained from their use and identify opportunities for further workflow enhancements. This ongoing evaluation ensures that the digital systems are utilized to their fullest potential, leading to improved efficiency and diagnostic accuracy.

Feedback from system users is highly positive; 100% of pathologists surveyed said going digital helps reach diagnostic consensus¹ and studies show time savings of up to 19 hours per day¹ on case logistics and reading.

With one of the largest installed bases in the world, Philips has helped pathology labs reach impressive results by transforming to digital pathology workflows. Staff adapts to the new digital system within eight days after only six hours of training, and realizes productivity gains of 25%.¹ When AI is added, it can boost productivity by up to 37%.² In cases of prostate cancer, AI reduces turnaround time to diagnosis from 1.8 days to 9.4 minutes,² compared to standard of care using a microscope. AI also has shown high accuracy in identifying pathology across tissue types.^3,4

Our digital pathology systems have years of performance in clinical use and have enabled pathology labs to institute new, more efficient ways of working. For example, Ohio State University, a pioneer in digital pathology, uses the Philips digital pathology solution for clinical care, research and telepathology, averaging more than 2,300 scans per day.⁵ Paris Saint-Joseph & Marie Lannelongue Hospitals use its Philips digital pathology solution to support multidisciplinary tumor boards in guiding personalized care pathway selection, and there are many more use cases around the globe.⁵

Transformation to a fully digital pathology workflow improves laboratory operations and enhances a pathologist's efficiency. It enables streamlined image analysis, remote collaboration and faster diagnostics, opening new opportunities for research and clinical collaboration. Adopting digital pathology is vital for pathology laboratories in supporting clinical teams that develop the best possible path for every patient, ensuring personalized, accessible cancer care.