Digital technology aids earlier cancer diagnosis

A pioneering project in Leeds to speed up cancer patients’ test results and diagnoses is set to be rolled-out in hospitals across West Yorkshire and Harrogate.

The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT) is one of a small number of cancer centres to establish a digital pathology centre of excellence. With investment from LTHT’s Charitable Trustees, the NHS Trust has piloted the use of digital technology to scan specimen slides produced in their laboratory.. Pathologists make diagnoses on a high-resolution computer display, speeding up the process and enabling the results to be stored and accessed securely online.

The technology can improve survival rates through earlier diagnosis and it paves the way for experts worldwide to collaborate on complex or rare cases.