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Bruce C, Prassas I, Mokhtar M, Clarke B, Youssef E, Wang C, Yousef GM. Transforming diagnostics: The implementation of digital pathology in clinical laboratories. Histopathology 2024; 85:207-214. [PMID: 38516992 DOI: 10.1111/his.15178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Digital pathology (DP) has emerged as a cutting-edge technology that promises to revolutionise diagnostics in clinical laboratories. This perspective article explores the implementation planning and considerations of DP in a single multicentre institution in Canada, the University Health Network, discussing benefits, challenges, potential implications and considerations for future adopters. We examine the transition from traditional microscopy to digital slide scanning and its impact on pathology practice, patient care and medical research. Furthermore, we address the regulatory, infrastructure and change management considerations for successful integration into clinical laboratories. By highlighting the advantages and addressing concerns, we aim to shed light on the transformative potential of DP and its role in shaping the future of diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Bruce
- Laboratory Medicine Program, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Ioannis Prassas
- Laboratory Medicine Program, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Mark Mokhtar
- Laboratory Medicine Program, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Blaise Clarke
- Laboratory Medicine Program, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Elaria Youssef
- Laboratory Medicine Program, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Catherine Wang
- Laboratory Medicine Program, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - George M Yousef
- Laboratory Medicine Program, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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2
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Tresserra F, Fabra G, Luque O, Castélla M, Gómez C, Fernández-Cid C, Rodríguez I. Validation of digital image slides for diagnosis in cervico-vaginal cytology. REVISTA ESPANOLA DE PATOLOGIA : PUBLICACION OFICIAL DE LA SOCIEDAD ESPANOLA DE ANATOMIA PATOLOGICA Y DE LA SOCIEDAD ESPANOLA DE CITOLOGIA 2024; 57:182-189. [PMID: 38971618 DOI: 10.1016/j.patol.2024.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To test the diagnostic concordance between microscopic (MI) and digital (DG) observation of cervico-vaginal (CV) cytology in a validation study of the technique. METHODS Five cytotechnologists (CT) reviewed 888 routine CV cytology cases from the Cervical Pathology Unit of our center over a 2-week period of time. The cases were first observed by MI and at the end of the day the cases were observed by DG. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED Agreement calculated using the Kappa index. RESULTS Most of the diagnoses corresponded to benign (64%) or inflammatory conditions (14%) and 24% corresponded to the intraepithelial lesion or malignancy (ILM) category. The overall kappa coefficient of concordance was strong (0.87). Among the different CTs it was almost perfect in two, strong in two and moderate in one. In 18 cases (10%) there were discrepancies between techniques in the category of ILM. In 10 (56%) cases there was an overdiagnosis in DG and in 8 (44%) an overdiagnosis in MI. Only in two cases, the diagnostic discrepancy exceeded one degree of difference between lesions, and they were ASCUS or AGUS for DG and CIN 2 for MI. CONCLUSIONS In this validation test in which routine cases during a two-week period have been used, observing the cases with both techniques on the same day, we have obtained a strong degree of concordance. The discordances obtained have not been considered relevant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Tresserra
- Cytology Laboratory, Gynecology Service, Dexeus Women's Health, Dexeus University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Gemma Fabra
- Cytology Laboratory, Gynecology Service, Dexeus Women's Health, Dexeus University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Olga Luque
- Cytology Laboratory, Gynecology Service, Dexeus Women's Health, Dexeus University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Miriam Castélla
- Cytology Laboratory, Gynecology Service, Dexeus Women's Health, Dexeus University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carla Gómez
- Cytology Laboratory, Gynecology Service, Dexeus Women's Health, Dexeus University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carmen Fernández-Cid
- Cytology Laboratory, Gynecology Service, Dexeus Women's Health, Dexeus University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ignacio Rodríguez
- Epidemiology Unit, Gynecology Service, Dexeus Women's Health, Dexeus University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
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3
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McGenity C, Randell R, Bellamy C, Burt A, Cratchley A, Goldin R, Hubscher SG, Neil DAH, Quaglia A, Tiniakos D, Wyatt J, Treanor D. Survey of liver pathologists to assess attitudes towards digital pathology and artificial intelligence. J Clin Pathol 2023; 77:27-33. [PMID: 36599660 PMCID: PMC10804041 DOI: 10.1136/jcp-2022-208614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
AIMS A survey of members of the UK Liver Pathology Group (UKLPG) was conducted, comprising consultant histopathologists from across the UK who report liver specimens and participate in the UK National Liver Pathology External Quality Assurance scheme. The aim of this study was to understand attitudes and priorities of liver pathologists towards digital pathology and artificial intelligence (AI). METHODS The survey was distributed to all full consultant members of the UKLPG via email. This comprised 50 questions, with 48 multiple choice questions and 2 free-text questions at the end, covering a range of topics and concepts pertaining to the use of digital pathology and AI in liver disease. RESULTS Forty-two consultant histopathologists completed the survey, representing 36% of fully registered members of the UKLPG (42/116). Questions examining digital pathology showed respondents agreed with the utility of digital pathology for primary diagnosis 83% (34/41), second opinions 90% (37/41), research 85% (35/41) and training and education 95% (39/41). Fatty liver diseases were an area of demand for AI tools with 80% in agreement (33/41), followed by neoplastic liver diseases with 59% in agreement (24/41). Participants were concerned about AI development without pathologist involvement 73% (30/41), however, 63% (26/41) disagreed when asked whether AI would replace pathologists. CONCLUSIONS This study outlines current interest, priorities for research and concerns around digital pathology and AI for liver pathologists. The majority of UK liver pathologists are in favour of the application of digital pathology and AI in clinical practice, research and education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare McGenity
- Pathology and Data Analytics, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Department of Histopathology, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK
| | - Rebecca Randell
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford, UK
- Wolfson Centre for Applied Health Research, Bradford, UK
| | | | - Alastair Burt
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Alyn Cratchley
- Department of Histopathology, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK
| | - Robert Goldin
- Division of Digestive Diseases, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Stefan G Hubscher
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Desley A H Neil
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Department of Cellular Pathology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Alberto Quaglia
- Department of Cellular Pathology, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK
| | - Dina Tiniakos
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
- Department of Pathology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Judy Wyatt
- Department of Histopathology, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK
| | - Darren Treanor
- Pathology and Data Analytics, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Department of Histopathology, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK
- Department of Clinical Pathology and Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- Centre for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
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4
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Schwen LO, Kiehl TR, Carvalho R, Zerbe N, Homeyer A. Digitization of Pathology Labs: A Review of Lessons Learned. J Transl Med 2023; 103:100244. [PMID: 37657651 DOI: 10.1016/j.labinv.2023.100244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Pathology laboratories are increasingly using digital workflows. This has the potential of increasing laboratory efficiency, but the digitization process also involves major challenges. Several reports have been published describing the individual experiences of specific laboratories with the digitization process. However, a comprehensive overview of the lessons learned is still lacking. We provide an overview of the lessons learned for different aspects of the digitization process, including digital case management, digital slide reading, and computer-aided slide reading. We also cover metrics used for monitoring performance and pitfalls and corresponding values observed in practice. The overview is intended to help pathologists, information technology decision makers, and administrators to benefit from the experiences of others and to implement the digitization process in an optimal way to make their own laboratory future-proof.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars Ole Schwen
- Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Medicine MEVIS, Bremen, Germany.
| | - Tim-Rasmus Kiehl
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Pathology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Rita Carvalho
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Pathology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Norman Zerbe
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Pathology, Berlin, Germany
| | - André Homeyer
- Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Medicine MEVIS, Bremen, Germany
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Kelleher M, Colling R, Browning L, Roskell D, Roberts-Gant S, Shah KA, Hemsworth H, White K, Rees G, Dolton M, Soares MF, Verrill C. Department Wide Validation in Digital Pathology-Experience from an Academic Teaching Hospital Using the UK Royal College of Pathologists' Guidance. Diagnostics (Basel) 2023; 13:2144. [PMID: 37443538 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13132144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM we describe our experience of validating departmental pathologists for digital pathology reporting, based on the UK Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) "Best Practice Recommendations for Implementing Digital Pathology (DP)," at a large academic teaching hospital that scans 100% of its surgical workload. We focus on Stage 2 of validation (prospective experience) prior to full validation sign-off. METHODS AND RESULTS twenty histopathologists completed Stage 1 of the validation process and subsequently completed Stage 2 validation, prospectively reporting a total of 3777 cases covering eight specialities. All cases were initially viewed on digital whole slide images (WSI) with relevant parameters checked on glass slides, and discordances were reconciled before the case was signed out. Pathologists kept an electronic log of the cases, the preferred reporting modality used, and their experiences. At the end of each validation, a summary was compiled and reviewed with a mentor. This was submitted to the DP Steering Group who assessed the scope of cases and experience before sign-off for full validation. A total of 1.3% (49/3777) of the cases had a discordance between WSI and glass slides. A total of 61% (30/49) of the discordances were categorised as a minor error in a supplementary parameter without clinical impact. The most common reasons for diagnostic discordances across specialities included identification and grading of dysplasia, assessment of tumour invasion, identification of small prognostic or diagnostic objects, interpretation of immunohistochemistry/special stains, and mitotic count assessment. Pathologists showed similar mean diagnostic confidences (on Likert scale from 0 to 7) with a mean of 6.8 on digital and 6.9 on glass slide reporting. CONCLUSION we describe one of the first real-world experiences of a department-wide effort to implement, validate, and roll out digital pathology reporting by applying the RCPath Recommendations for Implementing DP. We have shown a very low rate of discordance between WSI and glass slides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mai Kelleher
- Department of Cellular Pathology, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Richard Colling
- Department of Cellular Pathology, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
- Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, Oxford University, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Lisa Browning
- Department of Cellular Pathology, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Derek Roskell
- Department of Cellular Pathology, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Sharon Roberts-Gant
- Department of Cellular Pathology, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Ketan A Shah
- Department of Cellular Pathology, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Helen Hemsworth
- Department of Cellular Pathology, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Kieron White
- Department of Cellular Pathology, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Gabrielle Rees
- Department of Cellular Pathology, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Monica Dolton
- Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, Oxford University, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Maria Fernanda Soares
- Department of Cellular Pathology, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Clare Verrill
- Department of Cellular Pathology, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
- Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, Oxford University, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
- NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
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Ardon O, Klein E, Manzo A, Corsale L, England C, Mazzella A, Geneslaw L, Philip J, Ntiamoah P, Wright J, Sirintrapun SJ, Lin O, Elenitoba-Johnson K, Reuter VE, Hameed MR, Hanna MG. Digital pathology operations at a tertiary cancer center: Infrastructure requirements and operational cost. J Pathol Inform 2023; 14:100318. [PMID: 37811334 PMCID: PMC10550754 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpi.2023.100318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Whole slide imaging is revolutionizing the field of pathology and is currently being used for clinical, educational, and research initiatives by an increasing number of institutions. Pathology departments have distinct needs for digital pathology systems, yet the cost of digital workflows is cited as a major barrier for widespread adoption by many organizations. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) is an early adopter of whole slide imaging with incremental investments in resources that started more than 15 years ago. This experience and the large-scale scan operations led to the identification of required framework components of digital pathology operations. The cost of these components for the 2021 digital pathology operations at MSK were studied and calculated to enable an understanding of the operation and benchmark the accompanying costs. This paper describes the unique infrastructure cost and the costs associated with the digital pathology clinical operation use cases in a large, tertiary cancer center. These calculations can serve as a blueprint for other institutions to provide the necessary concepts and offer insights towards the financial requirements for digital pathology adoption by other institutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orly Ardon
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Eric Klein
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Allyne Manzo
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lorraine Corsale
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Christine England
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Allix Mazzella
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Luke Geneslaw
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - John Philip
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Peter Ntiamoah
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jeninne Wright
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Oscar Lin
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kojo Elenitoba-Johnson
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Victor E. Reuter
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Meera R. Hameed
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Matthew G. Hanna
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
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7
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Desai S. Digital pathology: an overview. CSI TRANSACTIONS ON ICT 2023. [PMCID: PMC10042104 DOI: 10.1007/s40012-023-00376-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/29/2023]
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8
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Greenberg A, Samueli B, Fahoum I, Farkash S, Greenberg O, Zemser-Werner V, Sabo E, Hagege RR, Hershkovitz D. Short Training Significantly Improves Ganglion Cell Detection Using an Algorithm-Assisted Approach. Arch Pathol Lab Med 2023; 147:215-221. [PMID: 35738006 DOI: 10.5858/arpa.2021-0481-oa] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT.— Medical education in pathology relies on the accumulation of experience gained through inspection of numerous samples from each entity. Acquiring sufficient teaching material for rare diseases, such as Hirschsprung disease (HSCR), may be difficult, especially in smaller institutes. The current study makes use of a previously developed decision support system using a decision support algorithm meant to aid pathologists in the diagnosis of HSCR. OBJECTIVE.— To assess the effect of a short training session on algorithm-assisted HSCR diagnosis. DESIGN.— Five pathologists reviewed a data set of 568 image sets (1704 images in total) selected from 50 cases by the decision support algorithm and were tasked with scoring the images for the presence or absence of ganglion cells. The task was repeated a total of 3 times. Each pathologist had to complete a short educational presentation between the second and third iterations. RESULTS.— The training resulted in a significantly increased rate of correct diagnoses (true positive/negative) and a decreased need for referrals for expert consultation. No statistically significant changes in the rate of false positives/negatives were detected. CONCLUSIONS.— A very short (<10 minutes) training session can greatly improve the pathologist's performance in the algorithm-assisted diagnosis of HSCR. The same approach may be feasible in training for the diagnosis of other rare diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel Greenberg
- From Institute of Pathology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel (A Greenberg, Fahoum, O Greenberg, Zemser-Werner, Hagege, Hershkovitz)
| | - Benzion Samueli
- From the Department of Pathology, Soroka University Medical Center, Be'er Sheva, Israel (Samueli)
| | - Ibrahim Fahoum
- From Institute of Pathology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel (A Greenberg, Fahoum, O Greenberg, Zemser-Werner, Hagege, Hershkovitz)
| | - Shai Farkash
- From the Institute of Pathology, Emek Medical Center, Afula, Israel (Farkash)
| | - Orli Greenberg
- From Institute of Pathology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel (A Greenberg, Fahoum, O Greenberg, Zemser-Werner, Hagege, Hershkovitz)
| | - Valentina Zemser-Werner
- From Institute of Pathology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel (A Greenberg, Fahoum, O Greenberg, Zemser-Werner, Hagege, Hershkovitz)
| | - Edmond Sabo
- From the Institute of Pathology, Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, Israel (Sabo).,From the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel (Sabo)
| | - Rami R Hagege
- From Institute of Pathology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel (A Greenberg, Fahoum, O Greenberg, Zemser-Werner, Hagege, Hershkovitz).,Hagege and Hershkovitz contributed equally to the research
| | - Dov Hershkovitz
- From the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel (Hershkovitz).,Hagege and Hershkovitz contributed equally to the research
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Bracey T. The Nomadic Digital Pathologist. Validation of a simple, dual slide scanner with remote reporting for a regional upper gastrointestinal specialist multidisciplinary meeting. J Pathol Inform 2022; 14:100161. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jpi.2022.100161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
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10
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Forest T, Aeffner F, Bangari DS, Bawa B, Carter J, Fikes J, High W, Hayashi SM, Jacobsen M, McKinney L, Rudmann D, Steinbach T, Schumacher V, Turner O, Ward JM, Willson CJ. Scientific and Regulatory Policy Committee Points to Consider: Primary Digital Histopathology Evaluation and Peer Review for Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) Nonclinical Toxicology Studies. Toxicol Pathol 2022; 50:531-543. [PMID: 35657014 DOI: 10.1177/01926233221099273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The Society of Toxicologic Pathology's Scientific and Regulatory Policy Committee formed a working group to consider the present and future use of digital pathology in toxicologic pathology in general and specifically its use in primary evaluation and peer review in Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) environments. Digital histopathology systems can save costs by reducing travel, enhancing organizational flexibility, decreasing slide handling, improving collaboration, increasing access to historical images, and improving quality and efficiency through integration with laboratory information management systems. However, the resources to implement and operate a digital pathology system can be significant. Given the magnitude and risks involved in the decision to adopt digital histopathology, this working group used pertinent previously published survey results and its members' expertise to create a Points-to-Consider article to assist organizations with building and implementing digital pathology workflows. With the aim of providing a comprehensive perspective, the current publication summarizes aspects of digital whole-slide imaging relevant to nonclinical histopathology evaluations, and then presents points to consider applicable to both primary digital histopathology evaluation and digital peer review in GLP toxicology studies. The Supplemental Appendices provide additional tabulated resources.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Wanda High
- High Preclinical Pathology Consulting, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Shim-Mo Hayashi
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan
- Division of Food Additives, National Institute of Health Sciences, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Matthew Jacobsen
- Regulatory Safety Centre of Excellence, Clinical Pharmacology & Safety Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
| | - LuAnn McKinney
- Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Daniel Rudmann
- Charles River Laboratories International, Inc., Wilmington, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Thomas Steinbach
- Experimental Pathology Laboratories, Inc., Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | | | | | | | - Cynthia J Willson
- Integrated Laboratory Systems, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
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Temprana-Salvador J, López-García P, Castellví Vives J, de Haro L, Ballesta E, Rojas Abusleme M, Arrufat M, Marques F, Casas JR, Gallego C, Pons L, Mate JL, Fernández PL, López-Bonet E, Bosch R, Martínez S, Ramón y Cajal S, Matias-Guiu X. DigiPatICS: Digital Pathology Transformation of the Catalan Health Institute Network of 8 Hospitals—Planification, Implementation, and Preliminary Results. Diagnostics (Basel) 2022; 12:diagnostics12040852. [PMID: 35453900 PMCID: PMC9025604 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12040852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Complete digital pathology transformation for primary histopathological diagnosis is a challenging yet rewarding endeavor. Its advantages are clear with more efficient workflows, but there are many technical and functional difficulties to be faced. The Catalan Health Institute (ICS) has started its DigiPatICS project, aiming to deploy digital pathology in an integrative, holistic, and comprehensive way within a network of 8 hospitals, over 168 pathologists, and over 1 million slides each year. We describe the bidding process and the careful planning that was required, followed by swift implementation in stages. The purpose of the DigiPatICS project is to increase patient safety and quality of care, improving diagnosis and the efficiency of processes in the pathological anatomy departments of the ICS through process improvement, digital pathology, and artificial intelligence tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordi Temprana-Salvador
- Department of Pathology, Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, CIBERONC, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; (J.C.V.); (S.R.y.C.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-93-274-68-09
| | - Pablo López-García
- Functional Competence Center, Information Systems, Catalan Health Institute (Institut Català de la Salut), 08006 Barcelona, Spain; (P.L.-G.); (L.d.H.); (E.B.)
| | - Josep Castellví Vives
- Department of Pathology, Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, CIBERONC, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; (J.C.V.); (S.R.y.C.)
| | - Lluís de Haro
- Functional Competence Center, Information Systems, Catalan Health Institute (Institut Català de la Salut), 08006 Barcelona, Spain; (P.L.-G.); (L.d.H.); (E.B.)
| | - Eudald Ballesta
- Functional Competence Center, Information Systems, Catalan Health Institute (Institut Català de la Salut), 08006 Barcelona, Spain; (P.L.-G.); (L.d.H.); (E.B.)
| | - Matias Rojas Abusleme
- Center for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Centre de Telecomunicacions i Tecnologies de la Informació, CTTI), Catalan Health Institute (Institut Català de la Salut), 08006 Barcelona, Spain;
| | - Miquel Arrufat
- Economic and Financial Management, Catalan Health Institute (Institut Català de la Salut), 08006 Barcelona, Spain;
| | - Ferran Marques
- Image Processing Group, Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), 08034 Barcelona, Spain; (F.M.); (J.R.C.)
| | - Josep R. Casas
- Image Processing Group, Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), 08034 Barcelona, Spain; (F.M.); (J.R.C.)
| | - Carlos Gallego
- Digital Medical Imaging System of Catalonia (SIMDCAT), TIC Salut, 08005 Barcelona, Spain;
| | - Laura Pons
- Department of Pathology, Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, 08916 Badalona, Spain; (L.P.); (J.L.M.); (P.L.F.)
| | - José Luis Mate
- Department of Pathology, Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, 08916 Badalona, Spain; (L.P.); (J.L.M.); (P.L.F.)
| | - Pedro Luis Fernández
- Department of Pathology, Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, 08916 Badalona, Spain; (L.P.); (J.L.M.); (P.L.F.)
| | - Eugeni López-Bonet
- Department of Pathology, Doctor Josep Trueta Hospital of Girona, 17007 Girona, Spain;
| | - Ramon Bosch
- Department of Pathology, Verge de la Cinta Hospital of Tortosa, 43500 Tarragona, Spain;
| | - Salomé Martínez
- Department of Pathology, Joan XXIII University Hospital of Tarragona, 43005 Tarragona, Spain;
| | - Santiago Ramón y Cajal
- Department of Pathology, Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, CIBERONC, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; (J.C.V.); (S.R.y.C.)
| | - Xavier Matias-Guiu
- Department of Pathology, Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital, 25198 Lleida, Spain;
- Department of Pathology, Bellvitge University Hospital, CIBERONC, 08907 Barcelona, Spain
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12
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Forest T, Aeffner F, Bangari DS, Bawa B, Carter J, Fikes J, High WB, Hayashi SM, Jacobsen M, McKinney L, Rudmann D, Steinbach T, Schumacher V, Turner OC, Ward JM, Willson CJ. Scientific and Regulatory Policy Committee Brief Communication: 2019 Survey on Use of Digital Histopathology Systems in Nonclinical Toxicology Studies. Toxicol Pathol 2022; 50:397-401. [PMID: 35321602 DOI: 10.1177/01926233221084621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Histopathologic evaluation and peer review using digital whole-slide images (WSIs) is a relatively new medium for assessing nonclinical toxicology studies in Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) environments. To better understand the present and future use of digital pathology in nonclinical toxicology studies, the Society of Toxicologic Pathology (STP) formed a working group to survey STP members with the goal of creating recommendations for implementation. The survey was administered in December 2019, immediately before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the results suggested that the use of digital histopathology for routine GLP histopathology assessment was not widespread. Subsequently, in follow-up correspondence during the pandemic, many responding institutions either began investigating or adopting digital WSI systems to reduce employee exposure to COVID-19. Therefore, the working group presents the survey results as a pre-pandemic baseline data set. Recommendations for use of WSI systems in GLP environments will be the subject of a separate publication.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Wanda B High
- High Preclinical Pathology Consulting, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Shim-Mo Hayashi
- Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, Japan.,National Institute of Health Sciences, Kawasaki, Japan
| | | | - LuAnn McKinney
- US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Daniel Rudmann
- Charles River Laboratories International, Inc., Wilmington, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Thomas Steinbach
- Experimental Pathology Laboratories, Inc., Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
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13
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Digital Pathology Implementation in Private Practice: Specific Challenges and Opportunities. Diagnostics (Basel) 2022; 12:diagnostics12020529. [PMID: 35204617 PMCID: PMC8871027 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12020529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Digital pathology (DP) is being deployed in many pathology laboratories, but most reported experiences refer to public health facilities. In this paper, we report our experience in DP transition at a high-volume private laboratory, addressing the main challenges in DP implementation in a private practice setting and how to overcome these issues. We started our implementation in 2020 and we are currently scanning 100% of our histology cases. Pre-existing sample tracking infrastructure facilitated this process. We are currently using two high-capacity scanners (Aperio GT450DX) to digitize all histology slides at 40×. Aperio eSlide Manager WebViewer viewing software is bidirectionally linked with the laboratory information system. Scanning error rate, during the test phase, was 2.1% (errors detected by the scanners) and 3.5% (manual quality control). Pre-scanning phase optimizations and vendor feedback and collaboration were crucial to improve WSI quality and are ongoing processes. Regarding pathologists' validation, we followed the Royal College of Pathologists recommendations for DP implementation (adapted to our practice). Although private sector implementation of DP is not without its challenges, it will ultimately benefit from DP safety and quality-associated features. Furthermore, DP deployment lays the foundation for artificial intelligence tools integration, which will ultimately contribute to improving patient care.
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14
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Dudgeon SN, Wen S, Hanna MG, Gupta R, Amgad M, Sheth M, Marble H, Huang R, Herrmann MD, Szu CH, Tong D, Werness B, Szu E, Larsimont D, Madabhushi A, Hytopoulos E, Chen W, Singh R, Hart SN, Sharma A, Saltz J, Salgado R, Gallas BD. A Pathologist-Annotated Dataset for Validating Artificial Intelligence: A Project Description and Pilot Study. J Pathol Inform 2021; 12:45. [PMID: 34881099 PMCID: PMC8609287 DOI: 10.4103/jpi.jpi_83_20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Revised: 01/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose: Validating artificial intelligence algorithms for clinical use in medical images is a challenging endeavor due to a lack of standard reference data (ground truth). This topic typically occupies a small portion of the discussion in research papers since most of the efforts are focused on developing novel algorithms. In this work, we present a collaboration to create a validation dataset of pathologist annotations for algorithms that process whole slide images. We focus on data collection and evaluation of algorithm performance in the context of estimating the density of stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (sTILs) in breast cancer. Methods: We digitized 64 glass slides of hematoxylin- and eosin-stained invasive ductal carcinoma core biopsies prepared at a single clinical site. A collaborating pathologist selected 10 regions of interest (ROIs) per slide for evaluation. We created training materials and workflows to crowdsource pathologist image annotations on two modes: an optical microscope and two digital platforms. The microscope platform allows the same ROIs to be evaluated in both modes. The workflows collect the ROI type, a decision on whether the ROI is appropriate for estimating the density of sTILs, and if appropriate, the sTIL density value for that ROI. Results: In total, 19 pathologists made 1645 ROI evaluations during a data collection event and the following 2 weeks. The pilot study yielded an abundant number of cases with nominal sTIL infiltration. Furthermore, we found that the sTIL densities are correlated within a case, and there is notable pathologist variability. Consequently, we outline plans to improve our ROI and case sampling methods. We also outline statistical methods to account for ROI correlations within a case and pathologist variability when validating an algorithm. Conclusion: We have built workflows for efficient data collection and tested them in a pilot study. As we prepare for pivotal studies, we will investigate methods to use the dataset as an external validation tool for algorithms. We will also consider what it will take for the dataset to be fit for a regulatory purpose: study size, patient population, and pathologist training and qualifications. To this end, we will elicit feedback from the Food and Drug Administration via the Medical Device Development Tool program and from the broader digital pathology and AI community. Ultimately, we intend to share the dataset, statistical methods, and lessons learned.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah N Dudgeon
- Division of Imaging Diagnostics and Software Reliability, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiologic Health, United States Food and Drug Administration, White Oak, MD, USA
| | - Si Wen
- Division of Imaging Diagnostics and Software Reliability, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiologic Health, United States Food and Drug Administration, White Oak, MD, USA
| | | | - Rajarsi Gupta
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Mohamed Amgad
- Department of Pathology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Manasi Sheth
- Division of Biostatistics, Center for Devices and Radiologic Health, United States Food and Drug Administration, White Oak, MD, USA
| | - Hetal Marble
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Richard Huang
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Markus D Herrmann
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Evan Szu
- Arrive Bio, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Denis Larsimont
- Department of Pathology, Institute Jules Bordet, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Anant Madabhushi
- Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Administration Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | | | - Weijie Chen
- Division of Imaging Diagnostics and Software Reliability, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiologic Health, United States Food and Drug Administration, White Oak, MD, USA
| | - Rajendra Singh
- Northwell Health and Zucker School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Steven N Hart
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ashish Sharma
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Joel Saltz
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Roberto Salgado
- Division of Research, Peter Mac Callum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Pathology, GZA-ZNA Hospitals, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Brandon D Gallas
- Division of Imaging Diagnostics and Software Reliability, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiologic Health, United States Food and Drug Administration, White Oak, MD, USA
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15
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Fraggetta F, L’Imperio V, Ameisen D, Carvalho R, Leh S, Kiehl TR, Serbanescu M, Racoceanu D, Della Mea V, Polonia A, Zerbe N, Eloy C. Best Practice Recommendations for the Implementation of a Digital Pathology Workflow in the Anatomic Pathology Laboratory by the European Society of Digital and Integrative Pathology (ESDIP). Diagnostics (Basel) 2021; 11:2167. [PMID: 34829514 PMCID: PMC8623219 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics11112167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The interest in implementing digital pathology (DP) workflows to obtain whole slide image (WSI) files for diagnostic purposes has increased in the last few years. The increasing performance of technical components and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of systems for primary diagnosis led to increased interest in applying DP workflows. However, despite this revolutionary transition, real world data suggest that a fully digital approach to the histological workflow has been implemented in only a minority of pathology laboratories. The objective of this study is to facilitate the implementation of DP workflows in pathology laboratories, helping those involved in this process of transformation to identify: (a) the scope and the boundaries of the DP transformation; (b) how to introduce automation to reduce errors; (c) how to introduce appropriate quality control to guarantee the safety of the process and (d) the hardware and software needed to implement DP systems inside the pathology laboratory. The European Society of Digital and Integrative Pathology (ESDIP) provided consensus-based recommendations developed through discussion among members of the Scientific Committee. The recommendations are thus based on the expertise of the panel members and on the agreement obtained after virtual meetings. Prior to publication, the recommendations were reviewed by members of the ESDIP Board. The recommendations comprehensively cover every step of the implementation of the digital workflow in the anatomic pathology department, emphasizing the importance of interoperability, automation and tracking of the entire process before the introduction of a scanning facility. Compared to the available national and international guidelines, the present document represents a practical, handy reference for the correct implementation of the digital workflow in Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filippo Fraggetta
- European Society of Digital and Integrative Pathology (ESDIP), Rua da Constituição n°668, 1° Esq/Traseiras, 4200-194 Porto, Portugal; (F.F.); (V.L.); (D.A.); (R.C.); (S.L.); (T.-R.K.); (M.S.); (D.R.); (V.D.M.); (A.P.); (N.Z.)
- Pathology Unit, “Gravina” Hospital, Caltagirone, ASP Catania, Via Portosalvo 1, 95041 Caltagirone, Italy
| | - Vincenzo L’Imperio
- European Society of Digital and Integrative Pathology (ESDIP), Rua da Constituição n°668, 1° Esq/Traseiras, 4200-194 Porto, Portugal; (F.F.); (V.L.); (D.A.); (R.C.); (S.L.); (T.-R.K.); (M.S.); (D.R.); (V.D.M.); (A.P.); (N.Z.)
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Pathology, ASST Monza, San Gerardo Hospital, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy
| | - David Ameisen
- European Society of Digital and Integrative Pathology (ESDIP), Rua da Constituição n°668, 1° Esq/Traseiras, 4200-194 Porto, Portugal; (F.F.); (V.L.); (D.A.); (R.C.); (S.L.); (T.-R.K.); (M.S.); (D.R.); (V.D.M.); (A.P.); (N.Z.)
- Imginit SAS, 152 Boulevard du Montparnasse, 75014 Paris, France
| | - Rita Carvalho
- European Society of Digital and Integrative Pathology (ESDIP), Rua da Constituição n°668, 1° Esq/Traseiras, 4200-194 Porto, Portugal; (F.F.); (V.L.); (D.A.); (R.C.); (S.L.); (T.-R.K.); (M.S.); (D.R.); (V.D.M.); (A.P.); (N.Z.)
- Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Pathology, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Sabine Leh
- European Society of Digital and Integrative Pathology (ESDIP), Rua da Constituição n°668, 1° Esq/Traseiras, 4200-194 Porto, Portugal; (F.F.); (V.L.); (D.A.); (R.C.); (S.L.); (T.-R.K.); (M.S.); (D.R.); (V.D.M.); (A.P.); (N.Z.)
- Department of Pathology, Haukeland University Hospital, Jonas Lies Vei 65, 5021 Bergen, Norway
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Jonas Lies Vei 87, 5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - Tim-Rasmus Kiehl
- European Society of Digital and Integrative Pathology (ESDIP), Rua da Constituição n°668, 1° Esq/Traseiras, 4200-194 Porto, Portugal; (F.F.); (V.L.); (D.A.); (R.C.); (S.L.); (T.-R.K.); (M.S.); (D.R.); (V.D.M.); (A.P.); (N.Z.)
- Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Pathology, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Mircea Serbanescu
- European Society of Digital and Integrative Pathology (ESDIP), Rua da Constituição n°668, 1° Esq/Traseiras, 4200-194 Porto, Portugal; (F.F.); (V.L.); (D.A.); (R.C.); (S.L.); (T.-R.K.); (M.S.); (D.R.); (V.D.M.); (A.P.); (N.Z.)
- Department of Medical Informatics and Biostatistics, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania
| | - Daniel Racoceanu
- European Society of Digital and Integrative Pathology (ESDIP), Rua da Constituição n°668, 1° Esq/Traseiras, 4200-194 Porto, Portugal; (F.F.); (V.L.); (D.A.); (R.C.); (S.L.); (T.-R.K.); (M.S.); (D.R.); (V.D.M.); (A.P.); (N.Z.)
- Sorbonne Université, Institut du Cerveau—Paris Brain Institute—ICM, Inserm, CNRS, APHP, Inria Team “Aramis”, Hôpital de la Pitié Salpêtrière, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Vincenzo Della Mea
- European Society of Digital and Integrative Pathology (ESDIP), Rua da Constituição n°668, 1° Esq/Traseiras, 4200-194 Porto, Portugal; (F.F.); (V.L.); (D.A.); (R.C.); (S.L.); (T.-R.K.); (M.S.); (D.R.); (V.D.M.); (A.P.); (N.Z.)
- Department of Mathematics, Computer Science and Physics, University of Udine, 33100 Udine, Italy
| | - Antonio Polonia
- European Society of Digital and Integrative Pathology (ESDIP), Rua da Constituição n°668, 1° Esq/Traseiras, 4200-194 Porto, Portugal; (F.F.); (V.L.); (D.A.); (R.C.); (S.L.); (T.-R.K.); (M.S.); (D.R.); (V.D.M.); (A.P.); (N.Z.)
- Ipatimup Diagnostics, Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of Porto University (Ipatimup), 4200-804 Porto, Portugal
- Medical Faculty, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Norman Zerbe
- European Society of Digital and Integrative Pathology (ESDIP), Rua da Constituição n°668, 1° Esq/Traseiras, 4200-194 Porto, Portugal; (F.F.); (V.L.); (D.A.); (R.C.); (S.L.); (T.-R.K.); (M.S.); (D.R.); (V.D.M.); (A.P.); (N.Z.)
- Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Pathology, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Catarina Eloy
- European Society of Digital and Integrative Pathology (ESDIP), Rua da Constituição n°668, 1° Esq/Traseiras, 4200-194 Porto, Portugal; (F.F.); (V.L.); (D.A.); (R.C.); (S.L.); (T.-R.K.); (M.S.); (D.R.); (V.D.M.); (A.P.); (N.Z.)
- Ipatimup Diagnostics, Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of Porto University (Ipatimup), 4200-804 Porto, Portugal
- Medical Faculty, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
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16
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Zuraw A, Aeffner F. Whole-slide imaging, tissue image analysis, and artificial intelligence in veterinary pathology: An updated introduction and review. Vet Pathol 2021; 59:6-25. [PMID: 34521285 DOI: 10.1177/03009858211040484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Since whole-slide imaging has been commercially available for over 2 decades, digital pathology has become a constantly expanding aspect of the pathology profession that will continue to significantly impact how pathologists conduct their craft. While some aspects, such as whole-slide imaging for archiving, consulting, and teaching, have gained broader acceptance, other facets such as quantitative tissue image analysis and artificial intelligence-based assessments are still met with some reservations. While most vendors in this space have focused on diagnostic applications, that is, viewing one or few slides at a time, some are developing solutions tailored more specifically to the various aspects of veterinary pathology including updated diagnostic, discovery, and research applications. This has especially advanced the use of digital pathology in toxicologic pathology and drug development, for primary reads as well as peer reviews. It is crucial that pathologists gain a deeper understanding of digital pathology and tissue image analysis technology and their applications in order to fully use these tools in a way that enhances and improves the pathologist's assessment as well as work environment. This review focuses on an updated introduction to the basics of digital pathology and image analysis and introduces emerging topics around artificial intelligence and machine learning.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Famke Aeffner
- Amgen Inc, Amgen Research, South San Francisco, CA, USA
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17
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Colling R, Colling H, Browning L, Verrill C. Validation of grading of non-invasive urothelial carcinoma by digital pathology for routine diagnosis. BMC Cancer 2021; 21:995. [PMID: 34488682 PMCID: PMC8420048 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-021-08698-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Pathological grading of non-invasive urothelial carcinoma has a direct impact upon management. This study evaluates the reproducibility of grading these tumours on glass slides and digital pathology. Methods Forty eight non-invasive urothelial bladder carcinomas were graded by three uropathologists on glass and on a digital platform using the 1973 WHO and 2004 ISUP/WHO systems. Results Consensus grades for glass and digital grading gave Cohen’s kappa scores of 0.78 (2004) and 0.82 (1973). Of 142 decisions made on the key therapeutic borderline of low grade versus high grade urothelial carcinoma (2004) by the three pathologists, 85% were in agreement. For the 1973 grading system, agreement overall was 90%. Conclusions Agreement on grading on glass slide and digital screen assessment is similar or in some cases improved, suggesting at least non-inferiority of DP for grading of non-invasive urothelial carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Colling
- Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK. .,Department of Cellular Pathology, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK.
| | - Hayleigh Colling
- Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Lisa Browning
- Department of Cellular Pathology, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK.,NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK
| | - Clare Verrill
- Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK.,Department of Cellular Pathology, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK.,NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK
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18
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Browning L, Colling R, Verrill C. WHO/ISUP grading of clear cell renal cell carcinoma and papillary renal cell carcinoma; validation of grading on the digital pathology platform and perspectives on reproducibility of grade. Diagn Pathol 2021; 16:75. [PMID: 34419085 PMCID: PMC8380382 DOI: 10.1186/s13000-021-01130-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background There are recognised potential pitfalls in digital diagnosis in urological pathology, including the grading of dysplasia. The World Health Organisation/International Society of Urological Pathology (WHO/ISUP) grading system for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is prognostically important in clear cell RCC (CCRCC) and papillary RCC (PRCC), and is included in risk stratification scores for CCRCC, thus impacting on patient management. To date there are no systematic studies examining the concordance of WHO/ISUP grading between digital pathology (DP) and glass slide (GS) images. We present a validation study examining intraobserver agreement in WHO/ISUP grade of CCRCC and PRCC. Methods Fifty CCRCCs and 10 PRCCs were graded (WHO/ISUP system) by three specialist uropathologists on three separate occasions (DP once then two GS assessments; GS1 and GS2) separated by wash-out periods of at least two-weeks. The grade was recorded for each assessment, and compared using Cohen’s and Fleiss’s kappa. Results There was 65 to 78% concordance of WHO/ISUP grading on DP and GS1. Furthermore, for the individual pathologists, the comparative kappa scores for DP versus GS1, and GS1 versus GS2, were 0.70 and 0.70, 0.57 and 0.73, and 0.71 and 0.74, and with no apparent tendency to upgrade or downgrade on DP versus GS. The interobserver kappa agreement was less, at 0.58 on DP and 0.45 on GS. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that the assessment of WHO/ISUP grade on DP is noninferior to that on GS. There is an apparent slight improvement in agreement between pathologists on RCC grade when assessed on DP, which may warrant further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Browning
- Department of Cellular Pathology, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, OX3 9DU, Oxford, UK. .,NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK.
| | - Richard Colling
- Department of Cellular Pathology, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, OX3 9DU, Oxford, UK.,Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, OX3 9DU, Oxford, UK
| | - Clare Verrill
- Department of Cellular Pathology, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, OX3 9DU, Oxford, UK.,NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK.,Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, OX3 9DU, Oxford, UK
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19
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Ramaswamy V, Tejaswini BN, Uthaiah SB. Remote Reporting During a Pandemic Using Digital Pathology Solution: Experience from a Tertiary Care Cancer Center. J Pathol Inform 2021; 12:20. [PMID: 34267985 PMCID: PMC8274304 DOI: 10.4103/jpi.jpi_109_20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Revised: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Remote reporting in anatomic pathology is an important advantage of digital pathology that has not been much explored. The COVID-19 pandemic has provided an opportunity to explore this important application of digital pathology system in a tertiary care cancer center to ensure patient care and staff safety. Regulatory guidelines have been described for remote reporting following the pandemic. Herein, we describe our experience of validation of digital pathology workflow for remote reporting to encourage pathologists to utilize this facility which opens door for multiple, multidisciplinary collaborations. Objective: To demonstrate the validation and the operational feasibility of remote reporting using a digital pathology system. Materials and Methods: Our retrospective validation included whole-slide images (WSIs) of 60 cases of histopathology and 20 cases each of frozen sections and a digital image-based breast algorithm after a washout period of 3 months. Three pathologists with different models of consumer-grade laptops reviewed the cases remotely to assess the diagnostic concordance and operational feasibility of the modified workflow. The slides were digitized on a USFDA-approved Philips UFS 300 scanner at ×40 resolution (0.25 μm/pixel) and viewed on the Image Management System through a web browser. All the essential parameters were reported for each case. After successful validation, 886 cases were reported remotely from March 29, 2020, to June 30, 2020, prospectively. Light microscopy formed the gold standard reference in remote reporting. Results: 100% major diagnostic concordance was observed in the validation of remote reporting in the retrospective and prospective studies using consumer-grade laptops. The deferral rate was 0.34%. 97.6% of histopathology and 100% of frozen sections were signed out within the turnaround time. Network speed and a lack of virtual private network did not significantly affect the study. Conclusion: This study of validation and reporting of complete pathology cases remotely, including their operational feasibility during a public health emergency, proves that remote sign-out using a digital pathology system is not inferior to WSIs on medical-grade monitors and light microscopy. Such studies on remote reporting open the door for the use of digital pathology for interinstitutional consultation and collaboration: Its main intended use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veena Ramaswamy
- Department of Histopathology, Strand Life Sciences - Health Care Global Cancer Hospital, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - B N Tejaswini
- Department of Histopathology, Strand Life Sciences - Health Care Global Cancer Hospital, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - Sowmya B Uthaiah
- Department of Histopathology, Strand Life Sciences - Health Care Global Cancer Hospital, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
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20
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Giaretto S, Renne SL, Rahal D, Bossi P, Colombo P, Spaggiari P, Manara S, Sollai M, Fiamengo B, Brambilla T, Fernandes B, Rao S, Elamin A, Valeri M, De Carlo C, Belsito V, Lancellotti C, Cieri M, Cagini A, Terracciano L, Roncalli M, Di Tommaso L. Digital Pathology During the COVID-19 Outbreak in Italy: Survey Study. J Med Internet Res 2021; 23:e24266. [PMID: 33503002 PMCID: PMC7901595 DOI: 10.2196/24266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Transition to digital pathology usually takes months or years to be completed. We were familiarizing ourselves with digital pathology solutions at the time when the COVID-19 outbreak forced us to embark on an abrupt transition to digital pathology. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to quantitatively describe how the abrupt transition to digital pathology might affect the quality of diagnoses, model possible causes by probabilistic modeling, and qualitatively gauge the perception of this abrupt transition. METHODS A total of 17 pathologists and residents participated in this study; these participants reviewed 25 additional test cases from the archives and completed a final psychologic survey. For each case, participants performed several different diagnostic tasks, and their results were recorded and compared with the original diagnoses performed using the gold standard method (ie, conventional microscopy). We performed Bayesian data analysis with probabilistic modeling. RESULTS The overall analysis, comprising 1345 different items, resulted in a 9% (117/1345) error rate in using digital slides. The task of differentiating a neoplastic process from a nonneoplastic one accounted for an error rate of 10.7% (42/392), whereas the distinction of a malignant process from a benign one accounted for an error rate of 4.2% (11/258). Apart from residents, senior pathologists generated most discrepancies (7.9%, 13/164). Our model showed that these differences among career levels persisted even after adjusting for other factors. CONCLUSIONS Our findings are in line with previous findings, emphasizing that the duration of transition (ie, lengthy or abrupt) might not influence the diagnostic performance. Moreover, our findings highlight that senior pathologists may be limited by a digital gap, which may negatively affect their performance with digital pathology. These results can guide the process of digital transition in the field of pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Giaretto
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele (MI), Italy
| | - Salvatore Lorenzo Renne
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele (MI), Italy
- Department of Pathology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center - IRCCS, Rozzano (MI), Italy
| | - Daoud Rahal
- Department of Pathology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center - IRCCS, Rozzano (MI), Italy
| | - Paola Bossi
- Department of Pathology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center - IRCCS, Rozzano (MI), Italy
| | - Piergiuseppe Colombo
- Department of Pathology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center - IRCCS, Rozzano (MI), Italy
| | - Paola Spaggiari
- Department of Pathology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center - IRCCS, Rozzano (MI), Italy
| | - Sofia Manara
- Department of Pathology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center - IRCCS, Rozzano (MI), Italy
| | - Mauro Sollai
- Department of Pathology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center - IRCCS, Rozzano (MI), Italy
| | - Barbara Fiamengo
- Department of Pathology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center - IRCCS, Rozzano (MI), Italy
| | - Tatiana Brambilla
- Department of Pathology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center - IRCCS, Rozzano (MI), Italy
| | - Bethania Fernandes
- Department of Pathology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center - IRCCS, Rozzano (MI), Italy
| | - Stefania Rao
- Department of Pathology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center - IRCCS, Rozzano (MI), Italy
| | - Abubaker Elamin
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele (MI), Italy
| | - Marina Valeri
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele (MI), Italy
- Department of Pathology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center - IRCCS, Rozzano (MI), Italy
| | - Camilla De Carlo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele (MI), Italy
- Department of Pathology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center - IRCCS, Rozzano (MI), Italy
| | - Vincenzo Belsito
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele (MI), Italy
- Department of Pathology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center - IRCCS, Rozzano (MI), Italy
| | - Cesare Lancellotti
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele (MI), Italy
- Department of Pathology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center - IRCCS, Rozzano (MI), Italy
| | - Miriam Cieri
- Department of Pathology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center - IRCCS, Rozzano (MI), Italy
| | - Angelo Cagini
- Department of Pathology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center - IRCCS, Rozzano (MI), Italy
| | - Luigi Terracciano
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele (MI), Italy
- Department of Pathology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center - IRCCS, Rozzano (MI), Italy
| | - Massimo Roncalli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele (MI), Italy
- Department of Pathology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center - IRCCS, Rozzano (MI), Italy
| | - Luca Di Tommaso
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele (MI), Italy
- Department of Pathology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center - IRCCS, Rozzano (MI), Italy
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21
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Bradley AE, Cary MG, Isobe K, Naylor S, Drew S. Proof of Concept: The Use of Whole-Slide Images (WSI) for Peer Review of Tissues on Routine Regulatory Toxicology Studies. Toxicol Pathol 2021; 49:750-754. [PMID: 33397219 DOI: 10.1177/0192623320983252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This Proof of Concept (POC) study was to assess whether assessment of whole slide images (WSI) of the 2 target tissues for a contemporaneous peer review can elicit concordant results to the findings generated by the Study Pathologist from the glass slides. Well-focused WSI of liver and spleen from 4 groups of mice, that had previously been diagnosed to be the target tissues by an experienced veterinary toxicologic pathologist examining glass slides, were independently reviewed by 3 veterinary pathologists with varying experience in assessment of WSIs. Diagnostic discrepancies were then reviewed by an experienced adjudicating pathologist. Assessment of microscopic findings using WSI showed concordance with the glass slides, with only slight discrepancy in severity grades noted. None of the lesions recorded by the Study pathologist were "missed" and no lesions were added by the pathologists evaluating WSIs, thus demonstrating equivalence of the WSI to glass slides for this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alys E Bradley
- 57146Charles River Laboratories Edinburgh Ltd, Tranent, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | | | - Kaori Isobe
- 57146Charles River Laboratories Edinburgh Ltd, Tranent, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Stuart Naylor
- 57146Charles River Laboratories Edinburgh Ltd, Tranent, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen Drew
- 57146Charles River Laboratories Edinburgh Ltd, Tranent, Scotland, United Kingdom
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22
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Schumacher VL, Aeffner F, Barale-Thomas E, Botteron C, Carter J, Elies L, Engelhardt JA, Fant P, Forest T, Hall P, Hildebrand D, Klopfleisch R, Lucotte T, Marxfeld H, Mckinney L, Moulin P, Neyens E, Palazzi X, Piton A, Riccardi E, Roth DR, Rousselle S, Vidal JD, Williams B. The Application, Challenges, and Advancement Toward Regulatory Acceptance of Digital Toxicologic Pathology: Results of the 7th ESTP International Expert Workshop (September 20-21, 2019). Toxicol Pathol 2020; 49:720-737. [PMID: 33297858 DOI: 10.1177/0192623320975841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
With advancements in whole slide imaging technology and improved understanding of the features of pathologist workstations required for digital slide evaluation, many institutions are investigating broad digital pathology adoption. The benefits of digital pathology evaluation include remote access to study or diagnostic case materials and integration of analysis and reporting tools. Diagnosis based on whole slide images is established in human medical pathology, and the use of digital pathology in toxicologic pathology is increasing. However, there has not been broad adoption in toxicologic pathology, particularly in the context of regulatory studies, due to lack of precedence. To address this topic, as well as practical aspects, the European Society of Toxicologic Pathology coordinated an expert international workshop to assess current applications and challenges and outline a set of minimal requirements needed to gain future regulatory acceptance for the use of digital toxicologic pathology workflows in research and development, so that toxicologic pathologists can benefit from digital slide technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa L Schumacher
- 1529Roche Innovation Center Basel, Pharma Research and Early Development, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Ltd, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Famke Aeffner
- Amgen Inc, Amgen Research, Translational Safety and Bioanalytical Sciences, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Laëtitia Elies
- 72810Bayer Crop Science Division, Sophia Antipolis, France.,25913Charles River Laboratories, Lyon, France
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Robert Klopfleisch
- 9166Freie Universitaet Berlin, Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas Lucotte
- 56511Agence nationale de sécurité du médicament et des produits de santé (ANSM), Saint-Denis, France
| | | | - LuAnn Mckinney
- 4137US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | | | - Elizabeth Neyens
- Elizabethtoxpath Consulting Inc, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Alain Piton
- ALP Quality Systems, Sophia Antipolis, France
| | | | | | | | | | - Bethany Williams
- 572272Department of Histopathology, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, United Kingdom.,Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
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23
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Jahn SW, Plass M, Moinfar F. Digital Pathology: Advantages, Limitations and Emerging Perspectives. J Clin Med 2020; 9:E3697. [PMID: 33217963 PMCID: PMC7698715 DOI: 10.3390/jcm9113697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Digital pathology is on the verge of becoming a mainstream option for routine diagnostics. Faster whole slide image scanning has paved the way for this development, but implementation on a large scale is challenging on technical, logistical, and financial levels. Comparative studies have published reassuring data on safety and feasibility, but implementation experiences highlight the need for training and the knowledge of pitfalls. Up to half of the pathologists are reluctant to sign out reports on only digital slides and are concerned about reporting without the tool that has represented their profession since its beginning. Guidelines by international pathology organizations aim to safeguard histology in the digital realm, from image acquisition over the setup of work-stations to long-term image archiving, but must be considered a starting point only. Cost-efficiency analyses and occupational health issues need to be addressed comprehensively. Image analysis is blended into the traditional work-flow, and the approval of artificial intelligence for routine diagnostics starts to challenge human evaluation as the gold standard. Here we discuss experiences from past digital pathology implementations, future possibilities through the addition of artificial intelligence, technical and occupational health challenges, and possible changes to the pathologist's profession.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan W. Jahn
- Diagnostic and Research Institute of Pathology, Medical University of Graz, Neue Stiftingtalstraße 6, 8010 Graz, Austria; (M.P.); (F.M.)
| | - Markus Plass
- Diagnostic and Research Institute of Pathology, Medical University of Graz, Neue Stiftingtalstraße 6, 8010 Graz, Austria; (M.P.); (F.M.)
| | - Farid Moinfar
- Diagnostic and Research Institute of Pathology, Medical University of Graz, Neue Stiftingtalstraße 6, 8010 Graz, Austria; (M.P.); (F.M.)
- Department of Pathology, Ordensklinikum/Hospital of the Sisters of Charity, Seilerstätte 4, 4010 Linz, Austria
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24
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Barisoni L, Lafata KJ, Hewitt SM, Madabhushi A, Balis UGJ. Digital pathology and computational image analysis in nephropathology. Nat Rev Nephrol 2020; 16:669-685. [PMID: 32848206 PMCID: PMC7447970 DOI: 10.1038/s41581-020-0321-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The emergence of digital pathology - an image-based environment for the acquisition, management and interpretation of pathology information supported by computational techniques for data extraction and analysis - is changing the pathology ecosystem. In particular, by virtue of our new-found ability to generate and curate digital libraries, the field of machine vision can now be effectively applied to histopathological subject matter by individuals who do not have deep expertise in machine vision techniques. Although these novel approaches have already advanced the detection, classification, and prognostication of diseases in the fields of radiology and oncology, renal pathology is just entering the digital era, with the establishment of consortia and digital pathology repositories for the collection, analysis and integration of pathology data with other domains. The development of machine-learning approaches for the extraction of information from image data, allows for tissue interrogation in a way that was not previously possible. The application of these novel tools are placing pathology centre stage in the process of defining new, integrated, biologically and clinically homogeneous disease categories, to identify patients at risk of progression, and shifting current paradigms for the treatment and prevention of kidney diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Barisoni
- Department of Pathology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
| | - Kyle J Lafata
- Department of Radiology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Stephen M Hewitt
- Laboratory of Pathology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Anant Madabhushi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Louis Stokes Veterans Administration Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA
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25
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Wright AI, Clarke EL, Dunn CM, Williams BJ, Treanor DE, Brettle DS. A Point-of-Use Quality Assurance Tool for Digital Pathology Remote Working. J Pathol Inform 2020; 11:17. [PMID: 33033654 PMCID: PMC7513773 DOI: 10.4103/jpi.jpi_25_20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2020] [Revised: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Pathology services are facing pressures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Digital pathology has the capability to meet some of these unprecedented challenges by allowing remote diagnoses to be made at home, during periods of social distancing or self-isolation. However, while digital pathology allows diagnoses to be made on standard computer screens, unregulated home environments may not be conducive for optimal viewing conditions. There is also a paucity of experimental evidence available to support the minimum display requirements for digital pathology. This study presents a Point-of-Use Quality Assurance (POUQA) tool for remote assessment of viewing conditions for reporting digital pathology slides. The tool is a psychophysical test combining previous work from successfully implemented quality assurance tools in both pathology and radiology to provide a minimally intrusive display screen validation task, before viewing digital slides. The test is specific to pathology assessment in that it requires visual discrimination between colors derived from hematoxylin and eosin staining, with a perceptual difference of ±1 delta E (dE). This tool evaluates the transfer of a 1 dE signal through the digital image display chain, including the observers’ contrast and color responses within the test color range. The web-based system has been rapidly developed and deployed as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic and may be used by anyone in the world to help optimize flexible working conditions at: http://www. virtualpathology.leeds.ac.uk/res earch/systems/pouqa/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander I Wright
- Section of Pathology and Data Analytics, Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Emily L Clarke
- Section of Pathology and Data Analytics, Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.,Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK
| | - Catriona M Dunn
- Section of Pathology and Data Analytics, Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Bethany J Williams
- Section of Pathology and Data Analytics, Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.,Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK
| | - Darren E Treanor
- Section of Pathology and Data Analytics, Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.,Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK
| | - David S Brettle
- Section of Pathology and Data Analytics, Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.,Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK
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26
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Williams BJ, Brettle D, Aslam M, Barrett P, Bryson G, Cross S, Snead D, Verrill C, Clarke E, Wright A, Treanor D. Guidance for Remote Reporting of Digital Pathology Slides During Periods of Exceptional Service Pressure: An Emergency Response from the UK Royal College of Pathologists. J Pathol Inform 2020; 11:12. [PMID: 32477618 PMCID: PMC7245343 DOI: 10.4103/jpi.jpi_23_20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Revised: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathology departments must rise to new staffing challenges caused by the coronavirus disease-19 pandemic and may need to work more flexibly for the foreseeable future. In light of this, many pathologists and departments are considering the merits of remote or home reporting of digital cases. While some individuals have experience of this, little work has been done to determine optimum conditions for home reporting, including technical and training considerations. In this publication produced in response to the pandemic, we provide information regarding risk assessment of home reporting of digital slides, summarize available information on specifications for home reporting computing equipment, and share access to a novel point-of-use quality assurance tool for assessing the suitability of home reporting screens for digital slide diagnosis. We hope this study provides a useful starting point and some practical guidance in a difficult time. This study forms the basis of the guidance issued by the Royal College of Pathologists, available at: https://www.rcpath.org/uploads/assets/626ead77-d7dd-42e1-949988e43dc84c97/RCPath-guidance-for-remote-digital-pathology.pdf.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David Brettle
- Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK
- University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | | | - Paul Barrett
- County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, Darlington, UK
| | | | | | - David Snead
- University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, Coventry, UK
- University of Warwick, Warwick, UK
| | - Clare Verrill
- Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences and Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Emily Clarke
- Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK
- University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | | | - Darren Treanor
- Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK
- University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
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