Visualization Highlight: Vinnova Framework Grant: Digital Pathology

Within pathology there is an urgent need for substantially increased efficiency in parallel with continued improvements in quality of care.

Diagnostic pathology is of crucial importance for health care in Sweden and the world. Cancer care, for example, is fully dependent on fast and precise analyses of tissue samples (histopathology). The number of pathologists in Sweden is however far from sufficient at the same time as the volumes and demands increase due to an ageing population and more specialized diagnostics. The motivation for the project is that there is an urgent need for substantially increased efficiency in parallel with continued improvements in quality of care within pathology. Digitisation of histology images is one of few major opportunities to achieve this. This project aims to define a holistic solution based on this opportunity. This design includes novel workflows and adapted IT architecture, as well as a prioritized requirement set for corresponding IT tools. The goal for the solutions developed in the project is to achieve shorter turn-around times in pathology, higher diagnostic precision, more cost-efficient resource utilisation and improved medical education.

References

S. Thorstenson, J. Molin, and C. Lundström, (2014) “Implementation of large-scale routine diagnostics using whole slide imaging in Sweden: Digital pathology experiences 2006-2013,” J. Pathol. Inform., vol. 5, no. 1, p. 14, 2014.
J. Molin, K. Shaga Devan, K. Wårdell, and C. Lundström, (2014) “Feature-enhancing zoom to facilitate Ki-67 hot spot detection,” in SPIE Medical Imaging 2014