Tumor Boards
Hospital Tumor Boards meet routinely to review various cancer cases as well as the medical condition and treatment options of specific cancer patients. A multidisciplinary team of oncologists, radiologists, surgeons, and pathologists discuss the diagnosis and management of cases and aim to reach a consensus on how best to manage the patient’s care.
The preparation for tumor boards is time consuming and tedious for the pathologist and the administrator. Once the pathologist chooses a case, the administrator pulls all relevant case information and gives the slides to the pathologist. The pathologist must choose the best slides to present the case, organize and prepare photos of the slide for the tumor board.
The lack of flexibility in the process can be a drawback. Last minute cases cannot be included due to the limited preparation time of relevant case information for discussion. It is also difficult to access material from outside cases for presentation. Pathologists anticipate questions that will arise at tumor board and take photographs accordingly. However, sometimes unanticipated questions arise for which appropriate photographs were not prepared.
Digital pathology can streamline and increase the efficiency of preparation for tumor boards. With a digital pathology system, pathologists can save hours of prep time by not having to locate and depend on glass slides.
At the tumor board, pathologists are able to better demonstrate their findings and respond to ad hoc questions, ultimately improving the overall experience. It also allows a multidisciplinary team to participate remotely. The ease of presentation is improved with digital slides, as is the ability of the pathologist to adjust to unforeseen changes during the presentation.
