The government has announced it will take forward recommendations from the UK National Screening Committee on the use of digital images to make it easier to identify cancer and speed up diagnosis.
The Department of Health and Social Care is taking forward the recommendation of the UK National Screening Committee to increase the use of digital pathology to examine body tissue samples as part of screening programmes for breast, bowel and cervical cancer.
It is hoped the advancement will help clinicians to gain second opinions on whether samples obtained are cancerous and help laboratories to work more efficiently and quickly, including allowing reporting off site.
In 2020, the National Coordinating Committee for Breast Pathology and by the Royal College of Pathologists asked the UK National Screening Committee to consider the evidence regarding the use of whole slide imaging.
A trial confirmed that using digital microscopy was as effective as using microscopes and slides for screening samples and the committee agreed it’s a safe option to complement or replace light microscopy.
Health Minister, Andrew Stephenson, said: "We know the earlier cancer is detected the sooner it can be treated, and the greater the chances of survival and recovery.
"Cancer is already being diagnosed at an earlier stage, more often and the NHS is seeing and treating record numbers of cancer patients.
"Increased use of digital pathology will help the NHS to go further and faster and provide another weapon in our battle against cancer."
Chair of the UK National Screening Committee, Professor Sir Mike Richards, said: "We need a high level of evidence when it comes to screening programmes so, alongside the National institute for Health and Care Research, we sponsored vital research to assess the effectiveness of this technique.
"Following that research, I’m pleased that the UK National Screening Committee’s recommendation to allow the use of digital pathology has been approved. Its use will support flexibility for pathologists and make sharing samples for second opinions or quality assurance easier and more efficient."
