Development of a nationwide telepathology consultation and quality control program for cancer diagnosis in China

Excerpt

China has the largest numbers of cancer patients worldwide but has limited pathology resources. According to a survey done by Chinese Pathologists Association, a large number of pathologists in clinical practice in China has only one year of formal or informal training. Only in recent year, formal pathology residency programs similar to those of Western countries are available in a couple of large medical schools, where limited numbers of well-trained and experienced pathologists are located. When having rare or complex cancer pathology cases, pathologists often have difficulty in making an accurate diagnosis. Mistakes in cancer diagnosis are not uncommon, which often leads to inadequate treatment of patients and medical legal problems. Thus, there is a great need for pathology consultation and quality control of cancer diagnosis in China. …