Pathology
The Pathology Program is directed at improving or building pathology services in low- and middle-income countries. Projects are intended to provide education and training to pathologists in these countries.
Educational and Training Workshops for Pathologists in sub-Saharan Africa
A series of workshops entitled, “What Can We Learn from Africa?” have been held in Italy, France, Kenya, Tanzania and most recently in Senegal. Participants in these workshops have included pathologists and clinicians from sub-Saharan East and West African countries. A typical meeting agenda is comprised of didactic lectures provided by an international faculty, case-study presentations by selected participants for wider discussion among all participants and faculty, and pre and post tests are given to participants to assess knowledge gained during the workshops.
Central Pathology Review of Childhood Brain Tumors in Brazil
In 2013, INCTR Brazil and TUCCA began central review of the pathologic diagnoses of brain tumors made by institutions throughout the country. To date, 526 cases have been reviewed. An important initial finding was that there was lack of concordance in diagnosis in 62% of the cases. This meant that there was a negative impact on appropriate treatment and, consequently, outcome on 40% of the discordant cases. It is anticipated that the central review will be expanded to other institutions and that molecular testing will be introduced in prospective clinical trials. Lastly, learning and training programs will be defined based on the new WHO classification for central nervous system tumors. For more information about this project, contact: inctr@inctrbrasil.org.
iPath
AMCC, INCTR’s French Branch provides support via iPath, a web-based program for telepathology (developed by the University of Basel) for the purposes of pathology training, diagnostic review and consultation. Pathology departments in French-speaking African countries have been equipped to use this technology and approximately 100 cases are reviewed annually. This support initially began as the provision of assistance with the diagnosis of hematologic malignancies, but has been expanded to include solid tumors. The iPath system has been used by AMCC to provide review of diagnostic materials for a clinical trial for the treatment of aggressive B cell lymphomas in adults in Senegal. For more information email: contact@cancer-amcc.org.
For general information about the Pathology Program, contact info@inctr.be.
iPath – Telepathology