https://www.decibio.com/insights/the-oncologists-role-in-the-digital-pathology-revolution-webinar
This webinar was recorded on Thursday, 5th September 2024.
Digital pathology tools, such as predictive and prognostic algorithms, can help facilitate increased efficiencies and improved patient outcomes. To date, conversations around digital pathology tools have understandably focused on the pathologist and lab. However, emerging DP tools are increasingly targeting clinical questions (rather than pathologist efficiencies), creating opportunities to include oncologists in discussions.
During this webinar, we will discuss different perspectives on the hurdles to tool adoption, offer suggestions on how we can overcome these, and share insights from a lab medicine perspective, where we believe digital tools, such as workflow and diagnostics tools, can improve health outcomes.
Speakers:
Moderators:
Learn more about DeciBio's Digital Pathology Market Report here: https://www.decibio.com/product/digital-pathology-market-report
View the webinar recording below:
*Note that due to an error with Zoom—Katie Maloney has been incorrectly labeled as Omar Perez in the recording.
In cased you missed our webinar, "The Oncologist's Role in the Digital Pathology Revolution" last week, you can now watch the full session on demand on our website here: https://lnkd.in/gX3TZmws
Moderated by Esther Abels and Katie Maloney
Thank you to our panelists Omar Perez, Joseph Annunziata, M.D., Heinz-Josef Klümpen, and Charles Gaulin for sharing their invaluable perspectives and to our engaged audience for your thought-provoking questions.
DigitalPathology PrecisionMedicine Oncology
Decibio Webinar Review: Integrating Oncologists into the Digital Pathology Revolution
Decibio’s September 5, 2024 webinar, The Role of the Oncologist in the Digital Pathology Revolution, brought together key thought leaders from oncology, pathology, and biopharma to discuss the future of digital pathology. The discussion provided a comprehensive look at how emerging tools, such as diagnostic algorithms and digital slide sharing, are breaking the traditional boundaries of pathology labs and increasingly involving oncologists in the conversation.
Dr. Charles Gaulin, a hematologist oncologist from Dartmouth, began by acknowledging that while digital pathology (DP) has primarily focused on pathology lab efficiencies, the field is shifting. Today’s digital tools are targeting clinical questions that can directly improve patient outcomes, and oncologists now have a growing role to play in adopting and using these technologies. Gaulin pointed out that for oncologists, the primary hurdle remains diagnostic delays caused by information bottlenecks. He noted that approximately half of his patients come to him with incomplete pathology information, requiring additional review and sometimes delaying the start of life-saving therapies. Digital pathology, particularly slide sharing for remote consultations, could cut days out of this process, providing a faster path to treatment.
This theme of reducing time-to-treatment was echoed by multiple panelists. Dr. Joseph Annunziata, a molecular pathologist and lab director, emphasized the importance of integrating DP to facilitate faster workflows, especially in community hospitals, where digital tools are often not yet in place. He also stressed the need for reflex testing panels, which allow pathologists to automatically order crucial molecular tests, such as next-generation sequencing (NGS), without needing separate oncologist input each time. This streamlining of diagnostic procedures, according to Annunziata, can significantly improve turnaround times, especially in cases requiring complex molecular profiling.
Omar Perez, PhD, from AstraZeneca’s medical diagnostics team, provided a perspective from the pharmaceutical industry, highlighting the role digital pathology plays in identifying patients for personalized treatments, such as companion diagnostics. He observed that digital pathology is not only a laboratory tool but is becoming integral in clinical decision-making, particularly for evaluating biomarkers that guide precision treatments. Perez made the compelling point that for advanced-stage cancers, where time is a critical factor, digital tools could be vital in expediting the analysis of biopsy results and molecular data, enabling oncologists to initiate appropriate therapies sooner.
The discussion touched on the barriers to adopting digital pathology more broadly, particularly in terms of infrastructure and cost. Dr. Gaulin and Dr. Annunziata noted that while larger academic institutions may have the necessary infrastructure, community hospitals and smaller institutions are often left out of the equation due to high costs and lack of IT integration. Gaulin emphasized that this divide needs to be addressed if the full potential of digital pathology is to be realized. Dr. Annunziata also pointed out that although digital tools can save days in consult times, their financial benefits might not always be immediately clear to administrators, which can slow adoption in cost-sensitive environments.
Perhaps one of the most enlightening aspects of the webinar was its emphasis on collaboration. Dr. Perez and the other panelists stressed that oncologists, pathologists, and pharmaceutical companies must collaborate more closely to standardize diagnostic tools, reduce fragmentation, and ensure patients have access to the best possible care. By integrating molecular tumor boards and embracing digital consultations, institutions can unify their decision-making processes, improving both the accuracy and speed of diagnosis.
In closing, the panelists emphasized that while digital pathology adoption has been slow, the evidence supporting its clinical and financial value is growing. With more studies on the horizon—particularly focusing on how digital tools can improve turnaround times and patient outcomes—the panel suggested that we may be at the cusp of a broader revolution in how oncology and pathology interact.
Here are ten key takeaways from the The Role of the Oncologist in the Digital Pathology Revolution webinar:
1. Expanding Role of Oncologists: Oncologists are becoming key stakeholders in digital pathology, particularly as tools shift from lab efficiencies to answering clinical questions.
2. Faster Consultations: Digital pathology can speed up the consultation process by enabling remote slide sharing, potentially shaving off several days from diagnostic delays.
3. Reflex Testing for Efficiency: Automatic reflex testing panels, particularly for molecular markers, streamline workflows, allowing pathologists to order critical tests upfront without waiting for oncologist input.
4. Predictive and Prognostic Tools: Digital pathology tools are increasingly linked to companion diagnostics and predictive algorithms, which can guide personalized cancer treatments.
5. Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: Greater collaboration between pathologists, oncologists, and pharmaceutical companies is crucial for the successful implementation and utilization of digital pathology.
6. Centralized Tumor Boards: Digital tools enhance multidisciplinary tumor boards by allowing pathologists to participate remotely, sharing insights and contributing to faster treatment decisions.
7. Financial Barriers: The high costs of implementing digital pathology, especially for smaller or community hospitals, remain a significant barrier to widespread adoption.
8. Infrastructure Challenges: IT integration and the lack of unified systems across hospitals further slow the adoption of digital pathology tools.
9. Patient Impact: For patients with late-stage cancers, faster diagnostic turnaround times enabled by digital pathology could lead to quicker initiation of treatments and better outcomes.
10. Future Research: Ongoing studies are expected to provide more evidence on how digital pathology improves clinical outcomes, which may drive broader adoption in the coming years.
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